An Unlikely Pair
by ChAnNyObSeSsEd
Summary: When a famous teen heartthrob attends a public highschool in Washington, all of the girls go crazy. Except for one. She drives the celebrity insane, so he won't leave her alone as payback. What's going to happen? Romance I wrote on impulse. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: Hey everybody! This is my new story I have been working on lately! Tell me what you think! I guess you could say that they main characters are based on Sonny and Chad a little bit off of SWAC, but I changed their names and the situation/location.

**No flames, please, just comments and constructive criticism.**

**DISCLAIMER: If anything sounds unoriginal or based off of something, I apologize. It is not intentional. No copyright infringement intended.**

Chapter 1

The white metal buildings of Carson High were painstakingly bright in the hot sun. The sun shone off of every building on campus enough to blind you. Jessica Kramer squinted her eyes and crinkled her nose in an attempt to be able to see. She pulled her wavy dark hair back into a high ponytail to keep it off of her neck. Her astonishing blue-green eyes glinted in the sun. Did it have to be sunny all of the time? Where were the clouds when you needed them? Her light skin almost appeared to reflect the sunlight too, but so did everyone's in this kind of weather.

Something unusual was happening, she noticed. She was heading towards the school's library for her seventh and final period, which was study hall. The library was attracting an unusual amount of traffic, which pretty much never happened. The library was not the ideal place for an average junior to spend their free-time. But then again, Jessica Kramer was not an average junior. She didn't party, she didn't socialize and talk in every class to the point of ridiculousness, she didn't use obscene language. She was what people called a 'goody-goody', but she was also what people called 'a loser' and 'antisocial'. She was always better keeping to herself. When her best friend was herself, no one gets hurt. When her best friend was herself, _she_ never got hurt. If there was one thing Jessica Kramer was afraid of, it was getting hurt.

Another thing she noticed was that about 99.9% of the people heading towards the library were girls. But they weren't just girls. They were screaming girls; running and hysterical screaming girls. Jessica was eager to see what was going on, although she tried hard to keep her bored and shy disposition. As she headed up the steps to the large square building, she was nearly pushed over a multitude of times by girls trying to get into the library. The age groups ranged anywhere from freshman to seniors. Everyone was here. Jessica scowled. This was her one quiet place where she could be alone every day and now it was ruined. Great.

Jessica managed to push her way through the crowd of screaming girls to a free table. Even though the usual quiet was being ruined by shrieks and screams, she looked at her safe-haven with admiring eyes. The shelves were still the same. They were still a cherry wood that never had a particle of dust on it. The books were still orderly and neat. The soft, red, thin carpet was still spotless. Jessica smiled to herself. All that was missing was the quiet. The beautiful, beautiful quiet. She sighed and huffed at the people who were being unnecessarily rowdy. She wanted to read her special copy of _The Call of the Wild_.

Any stranger to Jessica would have assumed it was just a regular old book, but it wasn't; not at all. It was special to her. It used belong to her father before the accident; before he died. That was a dark day, and she never liked to think about it. She quickly redirected her mind to the story. She opened the book up to Chapter One. But just as she started to read about the St. Bernard and Scotland sheepdog mix, the screaming seemed to grow louder. She attempted to keep reading, but that wasn't working.

She glanced up from her book tentatively because she didn't want anyone to assume she was showing interest in this insane teenage girl craze. Jessica immediately noticed the majority of the girls screaming excitedly were popular. They wore short skirts and stilettos, she wore jeans and converse. There was a difference enough there to separate their social class.

Tried as she might, Jessica could not stay concentrated. It was too loud. The crowd of girls was too large for the librarian to quiet down. Jessica slammed her book shut in aggravation and crossed her arms. Her day was officially ruined. She might not be social, but she was still a teenage girl, which automatically made her a drama queen.

_Well_, she thought, _if I can't read my book then I might as well see what the big fuss is about_. _Maybe it will be a little bit exciting_.

Eventually, some of the screaming died down and the girls who were crowding the check out desk came rushing to the tables. The girls tried to sit in their chairs so hurriedly they nearly missed the chair and fell on the floor. They were squealing to themselves and their friends. Jessica stayed quiet and listened to their conversations.

"Oh my God, he is _so hot_!" Jessica heard a nearby blond girl squeal. "I am so glad the magazine finally came out!"

"Me too!" a friend gushed. "I have been waiting for the stupid library to order _The Hollywood Scoop_ all year!"

"I know!" the blond girl said. "Especially when the story is on _Drew Hitley_."

They both sighed and squealed. They opened their magazines. Jessica saw the cover. It was pasted with all kinds of different pictures a charming guy with bright blue eyes. His dark blond hair was messy and slightly flipped out on the ends. He had a winning smile and a flirty disposition. The large yellow letters above his face read _The Hollywood Scoop: this issue is dedicated to Drew Hitley!_

"OMG Drew Hitley, steal my heart!" the girl's best friend sighed, pressing the magazine dramatically to her chest. "His eyes make me melt!"

Jessica had about heard enough. So it was all just about this superficial celebrity? Not nearly as exciting as she had hoped. The girls screamed extremely loud this time. The librarian gave them deathly looks, but they took no notice.

"I knew it!" screamed the blond. "I just knew it!"

"He was voted _Hollywood's Hunkiest Heartthrob of the Year_!" the best friend said excitedly. "I knew he'd make it! How could he not? He has the largest fan base out of all of the nominees, he is the _hottest_, and let's not forget he's been in three extremely successful movies: _The Life and Times of Jackson Daniels_, _New Love_, and _Invasion Number 02_."

Jessica had _definitely_ had enough by now. God, she suddenly had a strong desire to puke. She transferred to another table, one that wasn't taken up by hundreds of screaming girls all reading about Drew Hitley. The only one was a small table beside the door. She pulled back out her copy of _Call of the Wild_ and attempted to read. Her new method of distancing herself from the enemy worked temporarily, but then the screaming got louder as the girls discovered that the magazine had free posters.

_God forbid a library to be quiet!_ Jessica thought sourly. After about forty more minutes of endurance, Jessica rushed out the door the second the bell rang. She purposely pushed against the Drew Hitley poster taped on the door with all of her might. She usually just ignored this guy, especially when he was on every magazine cover, but this was getting ridiculous! He was on every TV channel being interviewed, he endorsed everything you could possibly think of, and his poster was posted _everywhere_. It was like he was following her. His bright blue eyes followed you just like a painting. It might have made some girls scream in delight, but to Jessica it was just plain creepy.

Jessica rushed down the steps quickly and without looking up from the ground. By now the sun's rays had faded away and were replaced by depressing dark clouds. A warm breeze weaved it's way around the campus, taking care to try and knock over every student unfortunate enough to be outside. Jessica still kept her head down even though the wind blew mercilessly her way. Her dark waves were blown back, pulling the other way in protest, but she stood her ground. Not many things or many people could persuade Jessica to do things she didn't want to do. Jessica Kramer was, as her dad used to put it, "as stubborn as a mule."

She crossed her arms tightly as she made her way home. Lucky for her, her home was only a half mile away from the high school. It was usually an easy walk. Jessica lived in the fairly decent part of town, so she never really had to worry about being mugged or jumped. The neighborhood watchman was an extremely careful man, and he usually scared the living daylights out of anyone he encountered. He was yet another reason they never had crime there.

Officer Roulin of the Neighborhood Watch was not to be messed with. Known as a former Marine, he was in top physical condition and was good at thinking like a criminal did. With all of his experience, not many escaped his grasp once he decided to take control of the situation. Because if these reasons and many others, the minute he got the job as watchman Jessica decided to make friends. She was only fifteen at the time, but that didn't stop her from building up a long-time friendship.

In many ways, Officer Roulin was like Jessica's second father. Jessica's father had passed away when she was only twelve years old, but she remained strong and had tried not to cry when she could help it. She was trying not to show too much weakness, because that made life harder. Officer Roulin had taught her that. When she was younger and asked him what he thought she should be when she got older, he obviously replied, "A Marine! Go into the Marine Core! 'Best thing that ever happened to me." Somehow, though, Jessica could not picture herself as a Marine. She thought she would just stick to having a best friend who was a Marine, and he could just go ahead and do all of that hard work Marines had to do.

As Jessica walked up to the large welcoming sign that read _Sweet Maples_, she spotted the familiar watchman car beside the neighborhood's entrance. It blared it's siren unexpectedly, causing her to drop her bags and all of it's contents onto the ground. She clicked her tongue and bent down to pick up her belongings.

The passenger door opened and a heavy army boot touched the ground. Officer Roulin stepped out of the car with a chuckle. He had a deep, booming voice. Nevertheless, it was kind. He ran a hand through his short and bristly hair. His eyes twinkled with childlike merriment.

"Very funny," Jessica huffed. "Very mature."

"Oh, come on," Officer Roulin said, "It was just a joke."

"A joke that made me drop all of my books," said Jessica.

"You always have been gullible," Officer Roulin said. "Cut me a break. I have been sitting here _all day_ without anything exciting to happen. I needed a laugh."

"Glad I could amuse you."

"What's wrong with you, Jessie?"

Jessica looked around quickly. The wind made a couple of leaves crackle nearby, and Jessica nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Don't call me Jessie! Someone could have heard you!"

"Why don't you want people to call you Jessie?"

"Because," Jessica began sadly, "that was kind of my dad's thing. For some reason, if someone else calls me that, it just sets me off." It brought back painful memories Jessica would do anything not to remember.

Officer Roulin bit his lip. She had told him this before.

"Sorry," he apologized. "But seriously, what's wrong?"

Jessica was still picking her belongings up off of the ground. She picked up _Call of the Wild_ quickly, hugging it to her chest. She showed the cover of the book to him.

"Couldn't read in the library today," said Jessica.

"What?" Officer Roulin asked, creases forming on his forehead. "I thought the library at your school was always quiet. You told me the librarian was like a shark."

"Yeah, well, she had a few more people than she could swallow today," Jessica said sourly. "I just haven't had a very good day. Sorry if I take it out on you, but I just really need to go home."

"No problem, don't worry about it," Roulin shook his head. He patted her on the back. "You go home and get some rest. Sorry about the siren."

"It was a boring day, don't beat yourself up about it," Jessica sighed. With that, she turned and walked home.

Jessica sat down on her couch and studied the note in her hand. Once again, her mother was still at work, and she had just left a note on the kitchen counter.

_**Jessica,**_

_**Sorry, honey, but I have to stay at work late again today. I won't be home before you get to bed. I left $25 on the counter. Order a pizza.**_

_**Love you,**_

_**Mom**_

Jessica's mother was a very careless woman to say the least, and she wasn't the most responsible, either. While her father was still alive, he seemed to be able to keep her on her feet. Ever since he had passed away, her mother seemed to slowly be falling apart. Jessica's parents had been madly in love, and her mother hadn't taken it very well. The only reason Jessica was able to hold her mother together was because she had Officer Roulin to act as a father-like figure.

Ever since he had died, Ms. Kramer had been slipping at work, she was late on paying bills, and half of the time Jessica had to file the taxes. As much as she hated to think it, Jessica knew exactly what her mother needed. She needed a husband.

_Of course, Mom, _Jessica thought, _I'll just eat pizza tonight. Again. For the fourth night in a row. I'm just ordering take-out_.

Jessica got the television remote and turned on the TV. Once again, she was relying on television to take her away from this ridiculous world that was her reality.

A young female reporter's face flickered onto the screen and her sweet voice sounded excited.

"With me today," gushed the reporter, "I am lucky enough to have booked _Drew Hitley_. He is probably one of the hottest names in Hollywood right now, and he has one of the largest fan bases our records show." She turned and the camera's angle widened, revealing Drew standing proudly beside her. "So, Mr. Hitley, can you explain to us how wonderful it must feel for your fame to be growing at such an alarming rate?"

"Please, call me Drew," he smiled. His smile was charming and full of self-confidence. Or would you call that self-admiration? "I must admit, being only seventeen years old and having one of the most recognizable names in Hollywood is extremely satisfying." He adjusted his coat. "I mean, it's become pretty obvious that everyone loves Drew Hitley."

"And that's the last of the commentary coming from the extremely humble Drew Hitley," Jessica said, rolling her eyes. Could this guy be any more full of himself? She quickly changed the channel. And, much to her surprise, the next channel was doing a story on no one other than Drew Hitley. A charming picture of him winking at the camera appeared on the screen. "I'll give you credit, Drew, you're extremely cute, but you have the biggest head I have ever seen," Jessica shook her head. She already knew practically every other channel would be the same as the last two, so she just cut off the television and ordered take-out.

* * *

"Wake up!" screamed Rachael Sanderson. "Wake up! This is important!"

The sleepy celebrity didn't move on the comfortable leather couch. He groaned and shooed her away with his hand.

"Come on, Mr. Big Shot, get up!" Rachael continued to scream. "This is crucial!"

A muffled voice came from couch. "Rachael, just because you're my manager doesn't mean you can just strut in here and interrupt me."

"Interrupt what? Your beauty sleep?"

"Exactly."

"Well, according to you, you don't need beauty sleep."

"I know. But still, I'm tired."

"I know. But still, this is important. It has to do with your image."

Drew Hitley shot up from the couch, now very much awake. His blue eyes were wide. His dirty blond hair was messy.

"What about my image?" Drew asked, straightening up his clothes.

"No, not how you look."

"I should have known."

"I mean your press."

"What's wrong with my press?" he demanded. "I already know that I have the largest fan base around. I already know that I was voted _Hollywood's Hunkiest Heartthrob_. What else can there be?"

"This is bad. This is bad press."

Rachael shoved a magazine towards his face. Rachael was a severe woman who never put up with anything. Her thin lips were pursed so much that her mouth was just a thin line. Her short brown hair was thin and stringy, although you could tell it had been worked on as much as possible. Her bony finger pointed towards the magazine.

"Yeah, I know, I'm on the cover. What else is new?"

"Look at the article, Drew!" Rachael yelled. "Look at page 43! Look at it!"

With a scowl, Drew turned to page 43. He spotted his own handsome picture winking at him next to an article. His scowl deepened as he read the title.

_**Drew Hitley: Hunky or Flunky?**_

_**If you say the name 'Drew Hitley' to anyone, they instantly know who you are talking about. There is almost no one who hasn't seen his hit movies, and there is no girl in the country who wouldn't want to be his girlfriend. But believe it or not, there is something wrong with this hunk. Or should we say, flunk?**_

_**We got the tip from an insider who is close to Drew Hitley . We cannot say names, because the source has asked to stay anonymous. When we asked how Drew spent is free-time, the answer was partying.**_

_**"When Drew isn't being interviewed, shooting a movie, or at a premiere, he completely goofs off," spills our source. "He completely ignores all of his studies. He doesn't try to excel academically. All he cares about is partying when he isn't 'working'."**_

_**When we asked our secret source why they felt this issue was so important, they answered,**_

_**"Well, if Hitley can't take his grades seriously, how can you expect him to take anything seriously? I mean, if you think about it, what other options does he have if this celebrity thing ends up not working out? That's right, he doesn't have any other options. He wouldn't be able to get a job anywhere decent like a normal teenager his age. His grades are horrible! And when he gets older, how much do you think a director would want to hire and work with an uneducated idiot? They wouldn't. If he can't take his grades seriously, he can't take himself seriously. And if he can't take himself seriously, then he can't take anything seriously. And that includes his job."**_

_**How will all of Drew's fans react to this? When confronted with this question, our source just snorted.**_

_**"I hope his fan base drops dramatically. It's what he deserves. All he cares about is girls, parties, and his image. He doesn't spend any time trying or making an effort. He spends all of the time winking at his reflection in the mirror. It's sick."**_

_**Well, that's all we thought was appropriate to put into this article. Do you believe this source? Do you disagree? What are the statistics? Here they are:**_

_**Agree: 45% Disagree: 55%**_

_**Maybe after seeing this article, Mr. Heartthrob Hitley will take his grades a little more seriously. We are still awaiting a statement from Drew's manager. It will be in next week's issue.**_

Drew closed the magazine and handed it back to Rachael.

"Well," Drew began, so shocked he almost couldn't think, "What are you going to say?"

"What can I say?" Rachael fumed. "How disappointed I am? How you promised not to give the press anything to complain about? How this is the very first piece of sleaze that's come out on you? I don't know what to say! The magazine wants a statement by this afternoon!"

"It's about my grades," Drew said a little guiltily. "I didn't know that the press cared about grades."

"Drew, Drew, Drew," Rachael shook her head, "Haven't you realized it by now? The press cares about _anything_ that makes you look bad, even if it is a little thing like your grades. But you know, as much as I hate to say it, that secret source was right. Your grades will affect you in the long run."

Drew looked shocked at this news.

"Yeah, that's right, superstar, you're not perfect."

"Why can't you do damage control or something?"

"What do you expect me to do? This is about grades! If it was a rumor about a celebrity girlfriend, we could pay her manager to say whatever we wanted them to say. If it was about you and someone getting into a fight, once again, all it would take is some money to shut them up. What are we supposed to do about grades, send you to a public school?"

Rachael ran her hand through her stringy hair, causing it to look worse than before. Then her face lit up. She fumbled with her pager as she pulled it hurriedly out of her pocket. She quickly sent a message to someone and they responded. A smile spread across her face, or at least you'd think you could call it a smile.

"What? What is it?" Drew asked.

"That's it," Rachael laughed. "That's it!"

"What's it? Wait... don't tell me..."

"Yes, yes, yes," she nodded, "it's perfect! It's too perfect! I am a genius!"

"I'm going to a..... a....."

"Public school!" Rachael laughed a little madly. "You're going to a public school! Oh, yeah, I'd love to see the look on that secret source's face now! Oh, this won't only be damage control, this will be heaven for your image! I can see the headlines now: _Drew Hitley: Down to Earth, Down to School_. Oh, or maybe _Drew Hitley: Celebrity Scholar_! Oh, this is too good!"

"I... I... no way! I am _not_ going to a public school! Normal kids go there! Gross kids go there!"

"All the kids that are your fans go there! Now you get to get close and personal with all of your fans."

Drew made a face that looked like he was about to puke. Rachael sighed in exasperation.

"And," she added, "most of them will be hot girls." She knew the magic words.

"Well," Drew smiled, his usual swagger returning, "I can't deny the ladies what they want. But besides the girls, how do you expect me to survive there?"

"You'll muddle through."

"Have you talked to my mom?"

"Ask anyone in this business," Rachael said, still smiling her insane smile, "Manager trumps Mother any day, kid." With that as the last word, she marched out of Drew's trailer in satisfaction.


	2. Chapter 2

Jessica awoke with a start. She had had the worst dream... her father was alive again and then all of a sudden, he was gone. Just like that. Not that she wasn't used to this... it happened every other night. It wasn't really that new. Jessica dressed quickly and went outside. It had rained over night and the chill was setting in. She grabbed a coat and left the house without breakfast or a goodbye to her mother who was passed out on the couch. Apparently she had been drinking again...

The chilly wind kissed her cheeks and her forehead as Jessica passed the _Sweet Maples_ sign. The control car was nowhere in sight. Officer Roulin was never awake this early in the morning. The one thing he didn't miss from the Marine training camp was having to get up at dawn every morning. Jessica kept her head down as she walked to school. It kept her nose from running like crazy. Once she got into the school's warm buildings it should stop immediately.

As Jessica walked up to the school, arms tightly crossed, she heard a bustle of excitement that never happened early in the morning. She gave a nearby group of girls a questioning look. They were whispering amongst themselves and squealing. This must mean another Drew Hitley magazine came in today. Fabulous, for the second day in a row she wouldn't get any peace and quiet.

But then she noticed something. The boys were tense, too. All of the guys making their way into and out of the main school building looked nervous. They even seemed to be giving each other quizzical looks. That was one thing Jessica couldn't stand about guys. They always seemed like they had some secret language. It was like they could have a whole conversation by just looking at each other a certain way. It made her feel left out and clueless. The last Drew Hitley magazine hadn't affected the boys. This meant something else was going on.

Jessica usually didn't resort to this, but she approached the giggling group of girls. She taped a tall blond one on the shoulder. The girl turned around and the smile quickly faded from her face.

"Can I help you?" the girl asked, crossing her arms.

Jessica scowled. She could tell this wasn't one of the nicest girls.

"Yeah," Jessica said, "I've noticed everyone freaking out."

"Oh, did you, now?"

"Actually, yeah. What's going on?"

A smirk spread across the girl's face.

"Your telling me you don't know?" she laughed.

"Yeah, that's kind of why I'm asking."

"OMG, it's on the news everywhere! It's on TV, it's on every website, everyone's talking about it."

When Jessica continued to look at the girl expectantly, she sighed.

"Alright, so what's going on?" Jessica asked again, a little more irritably.

The smirk faded from the blond's face. She suddenly looked overwhelmed with excitement.

"Okay, here's the dish," she squealed. "Drew Hitley is coming _here_."

"For what, a photo signing?"

"No, you idiot. He's coming _here_. As in _here here_. Drew Hitley is going to attend Carson High!"

"Oh. Okay."

Now it was the blond's turn to look expectantly at Jessica. A look of shock crossed her face.

"Did you hear me?"

"Yeah."

"Drew Hitley. _The_ Drew Hitley is coming here."

"I heard you."

The girl looked her over up and down. Why was she not screaming? The blond rolled her eyes.

"Weirdo," she muttered just loud enough for Jessica to hear. Jessica ignored it with a huff. She was used to being called that all the time. As she turned around to go inside the building, something caught her eye. Two jocks were hanging up a banner above the doorway. A curvy dark-headed girl was below them yelling instructions and pointing.

"Make it perfect!" she was screaming. "We don't want it to be just an every-day banner! _Drew Hitley_ is going to see this! We don't just want it to say 'welcome'. We want it to say '_DREW HITLEY, __WELCOME TO CARSON HIGH'_! Now put your backs into it!!!!"

_Gosh_, Jessica thought, _this is ridiculous. He's just a guy, not a god_._ Who cares if a freaking banner is two inches off the center? Definitely not me_.

Once she was inside and the cold stopped biting her cheeks, Jessica could think clearly. She took off her coat and shook out her wavy dark hair. Then she saw something she never thought she would see.

Principal Truman, an old and severe woman, stepped out of her office in _heels_ and wearing _pink_. _Heels _and _pink_. In fact, her heels _were_ pink. Jessica nearly fell over in surprise. Principal Truman never wore heels or pink. She always wore sensible plain black shoes and a plain black dress-suit. She never wore makeup, either. Jessica had to lean against the wall to keep herself from falling over in astonishment.

"Miss Kramer," Principal Truman nodded. She walked slowly and cautiously towards the door. Jessica fought to bite her lip and not laugh as Principal Truman stumbled in her heels. Heck, even the rock-hard principal dressed up. Was he coming today? Of course he would. Drew Hitley doesn't wait for anyone, does he? As more and more people went outside to wait for him, Jessica went to the cafeteria alone and opened her book. The oh so perfect Drew Hitley would live if not everyone in the school was there for his arrival. Jessica's book was the most important thing in the world to her.

Drew stood up out of the sunroof of his limousine and looked at the upcoming school. As far as public schools go, it wasn't too shabby. Of course, it was barely bigger than his house, but he couldn't expect the lower class to know anything about that. As the limo turned into the school's entrance, his ears were greeted by the usual screams of joy and excitement. He was pleased as they pulled in closer to the school. There were _a lot_ of girls. Most of them were hot, too. This wouldn't be too bad. Maybe Rachael knew what she was talking about.

"_Drew, I love you_!" the girls screamed. They were jumping up and down and practically punching each other in the face to get in the front. He smiled.

_They love me_, he thought, straightening his expensive coat. He felt a sharp tug at the bottom of his coat.

"Excuse me, sir," the chauffeur said, "we are here. You should probably come down, sir."

"Right," Drew said to himself. He carefully ducked back into the car. Two large men got out of the limo and opened the door for Drew. They covered both sides of him as he exited the car. The screams, if possible, got even louder. Some of the girls were crying. Many of the girls were trying to at least touch him, and many of the guys were trying to keep themselves under control but kept trying to introduce themselves. The bodyguards reflected the crowd like force fields, but Drew winked and waved to as many girls as he could. The school nurse's office was full that day. Countless girls fainted.

"Welcome, Mr. Hitley," Principal Truman rushed forward. "It is an honor to have you attend our school."

Cameras flashed everywhere, but this wasn't a problem. Drew was used to attention and love from everyone. Microphones were shoved into his face.

"It is an honor _for me_, ma'am," Drew smiled charmingly, "to be here at this fine establishment." He continued to smile and remember everything Rachael told him to say. Principal Truman giggled a giggle most unfitting for her age and blushed. Drew's bodyguards rushed him inside.

"Okay, boys," Drew said, noticing all of the girls rushing in behind him, "you can go now."

The guards looked at each other questioningly.

"Honestly," Drew continued, "how do you expect me to get a _normal_ education being followed around by two big gorillas? No offense."

"We are supposed to protect you," one said in a deep voice.

"Yeah, Mongo," Drew nodded slowly, "when I'm in danger. No danger here, just lots of girls. I can handle it. Rachael wants me to do this on my own." Drew got his phone out of his pocket and held it out in front of their faces. "Do you want to argue with her? Feel free to call."

The bodyguards exchanged fearful looks and shook their heads.

"No, no," the other said. "Sorry, Mr. Hitley."

"Just go," Drew shooed them away. That was one good thing about his manager. She could be herself for Halloween and win a prize.

"_DREW_!!!!" breathed the crowd of girls. The sprang upon him like a lion would it's prey.

"Ladies!" he exclaimed. "Ladies!"

They all quickly stopped and stood still, almost shaking with excitement.

"Please, calm down," Drew said. "There's enough of me to go around. But only a few at a time." He winked and squeals erupted from the crowd. "Alright, I'm gonna make a schedule. Being as busy and wildly popular as I am, I always have to be organized."

All of the girls sighed dreamily.

"Alright, then, everybody on the right, you get me Monday through half of Wednesday. Everybody on the left, you get me half of Wednesday through Friday. Since it's Friday, ladies on the left, I'm all yours."

The crowd on the right faded away with huffs and puffs while many screaming girls fought to hold onto his arms. Two brunettes fought to be right behind him so they could feel his hair.

"Come on, girls," Drew shook his head, "please, no fighting. Drew Hitley doesn't do hassle."

"Sorry," they both said quickly but continued to argue behind his back.

The girls led him to the cafeteria. The large room had white brick walls and many windows. It was spacey, but his room was bigger. People were sitting at many tables, staring at him. They were all too afraid to approach. The large group of girls and Drew filled up an entire table. The two girls on each side of him tried to get as close as possible without being in his lap, and the ones in front of him stared dreamily. He was used to girls staring at him creepily, but this was a little much.

"So, Drew," a perky cheerleader piped up, "see anything you like?"

He thought that over, then he got it.

"Uh, excuse me," he said, getting up quickly. Again, he was used to obsessive girls, but... not that way.

"Where are you going?" the brunette sitting beside him asked sadly. "Do you need help finding anything?"

"Uh, no, just the bathroom," he said hurriedly.

"Do you know where it is?"

"Yes," he lied. "I saw it on the way here." He turned and quickly started walking away. All of the girls at the table quickly turned to each other and started giggling. He sighed in relief. He'd come back to them later... they were a little too _excited_ right now. Was he really going to go to the bathroom? No way. He always went to the bathroom right before he came. No way was he using a bathroom used by _other people_. He might want to get away from that particular crowd of girls, but he wasn't ready to stop getting drooled all over. That was one thing that almost never got old. He looked around the crowded cafeteria for a new victim.

Bingo. One table stood out among the rest. It was the only table in the cafeteria that wasn't completely full. Only one person sat there. Drew smiled to himself.

_A girl reading a book_, he thought, _is always an easy target_._ She might be a dork, but fun to play around with, nevertheless_.

He started heading towards the empty table. He knew what he'd say. All he had to do was tell her who he was and they were always wrapped around his finger right then. He approached the table, half expecting her to look up, but she never did. He took a seat in the chair right beside her. He straightened up the collar on his coat.

"Hey," he said in his usual charming voice, "I'm Drew Hitley." He closed his eyes and his ears adjusted for the usual screaming. He waited but it never came. He opened his eyes questioningly. He couldn't believe it, he just couldn't. She hadn't even looked up! He assumed she must be hard at hearing.

"I said," Drew started, a note of annoyance in his voice, "I'm Drew Hitley."

The strange girl finally spoke. Her voice was almost muffled because she still wasn't looking up. Her dark wavy hair hid the side of her face. She sighed.

"I heard you."

Drew was in complete shock. Something this drastic had _never_ happened to him before. _Never_. She wasn't screaming. She wasn't freaking out. She wasn't even looking up from that stupid book! He surely deserved more than that! He cleared his throat.

"You know, _the _Drew Hitley. I've been in many famous movies. I was voted _Hollywood's Hunkiest Heartthrob_."

"I know."

She still wasn't looking up. This nearly knocked Drew out of his seat. What was wrong with this girl? Was she mentally unsound? Did she just belong in an institution?

"Do you know who I am?"

"Apparently. You just told me."

The girl loosened her grip on her book. For the first time she finally looked up. Drew was nearly shocked by this action, and her looks also surprised him. She was biting her lip. She looked annoyed. "Alright, look," she said, her bright eyes drilling into him, "I don't mean to be rude, but I'm kind of trying to read. So if you don't mind..."

She looked at him, as if daring him to object. He didn't know what to do. She was telling him to go away? Alright, it was official, this girl was a mental case. He made a desperate last attempt to win her over. Drew smiled the most charming smile he could muster. This smile was the one he used to make girls faint. He raised his eyebrows.

The girl just snorted and rolled her eyes. She looked back down to her book and her thick wavy hair fell back in the way of her face. Drew didn't know what to do besides leave. He heard himself say in a voice that didn't sound like his own, 'see ya later'. He thought he heard her mumble, 'let's hope not'. He stumbled out of the chair and blindly made his way over to the crazed girls' table. At least they would give him the attention he deserved.

He didn't understand it. She was a _girl_. A pretty _girl_. Who wasn't _interested_. Who _didn't care_ he was famous or good looking. In fact, she acted like he had done something to her. Why should she have a grudge? They had never even met! He couldn't forget it... this had never happened before.

The girls at the table continued to flirt with him and play with his coat. They babbled on, telling him about how popular they were and how many extracurricular activities they participated in, but he wasn't really listening.

She was different. She was mental. She was a girl his age who wasn't screaming. She _wasn't screaming_. All Drew found himself thinking was,

_She's mental. She's mental. She's mental._

He knew he was telling himself this just to feel better. He looked across the cafeteria at the table where she was. She was still reading, and she wasn't even looking over at him like everyone else in the room. There had to be something wrong with her. That was the only explanation. She was so different.

_She actually was pretty,_ he found himself thinking. But she wasn't the same pretty like all of the other girls. They looked... superficial. They all had blond or brown hair that looked colored and fake. They all had good looking tans, but they were fake tans. You could tell they were fake tans. But this mental girl, her skin was right in between tan and pale. It was right there in the middle. Her hair didn't look like it had fake coloring and was caked with hairspray. And her eyes... they just stood out. Could mental patients be that pretty? He couldn't call her hot... that was the wrong word. She was... pretty. He was so confused. He was completely out of it because of the shock. All he knew was he wouldn't rest until _every last person_ in this school was his biggest fan; and that meant her.

Jessica was at her wit's end by the end of the day. All everyone was talking about was stupid Drew Hitley. He had gotten on every last nerve she had in her body. He was just as self-centered and superficial as she thought— if not more. She was unfortunate enough to have six of her seven periods with him. Again, the library was her only safe-haven. Predictably, he steered clear of it.

In every single stinking class he acted like he was King of the School— no, King of the World. Fortunate enough for Drew, all of the Junior's teachers were women. All he had to do was smile a certain way and he got what he wanted. Every last one of them was wrapped around his finger.

Also, he seemed to have every student answer his every whim. All of the guys in the class watched him as if they had something to learn, and the girls just stared at him dreamily and day dreamed about him. Jessica nearly puked a multitude of times. He at least knew how to get out of homework, that was for sure. One particular excuse was becoming famous: "Oh, sorry, ma'am, I don't think I'll be able to do that. I have to read over countless movie scripts for auditions. You see, all of the money I earn if I get the part is going to St. Judes..."

That one worked every time. It took all of Jessica's will power not to go up to him and yell in his face. She wanted to scream, "SORRY, PRETTY BOY, BUT THE WORLD DOESN'T REVOLVE AROUND _YOU_!!!!!"

She also noticed how he never paid attention in class (surprise, surprise). He was either holding his expensive touch-screen phone under the desk and surfing the internet, or he was just looking around the room. Jessica could have sworn a couple of times that he was staring at her. She knew she must just be seeing things. Why would he stare at her when there were other girls in the class that were more popular and had plastic surgery... well, you know where.

Now she was stalking angry down the sidewalk outside of the school doors. She wanted to get home. She didn't want to be on the same campus as that superficial jerk face. She still had no idea why she was so surprised when Drew drove by in his convertible with about five girls hanging out of the back. They were screaming in pleasure, of course, and Drew had on his 'cool' sunglasses. She rolled her eyes and walked even faster. She couldn't wait to get out of here.

As she came upon the _Sweet Maples_ sign, she quickly looked around for the control car. Now she was paranoid. She didn't want to drop her books again and get them wet— especially a certain book. Instead, Officer Roulin came walking up to her joyfully. He had apparently been having a good day.

"Hey, Jessica!" he boomed. "How's it going?" He put a heavy arm around her shoulder.

She sighed.

"Not too great," she shrugged. "That doesn't seem to be the case with you. Looks like you've had a good day."

"Oh, have I ever," he smiled, leaning against the back of the neighborhood sign. "I met this new girl. I went through the basic procedure, you know. I asked her who she was and why she was here, she told me, and then she asked me who I was. I pointed to badge and I was like, 'ma'am, I protect these parts'. After that it just all went uphill! I actually have a date with her tomorrow night."

"Great. I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks! Now, it's my turn. What seems to be the problem with you?"

"Oh, nothing really," Jessica shrugged. "A self-centered celebrity just enrolled at my school today and he is driving me insane. He acts like it's all about him. The only highlights of my day were going to the library and almost giving him a heart attack."

"Heart attack?"

"Yeah. When he came up to charm me and wrap me around his finger like every other girl, I didn't fall for it. I think he's still in shock. It was actually kind of funny."

"Oh, it's this Drew Hitley fellow, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, sorry about that, private. But you know what? I bet it was a good thing. I bet you finally gave him the dose of reality he needed."

"I might have, or might not. Either he realizes he's an idiot, or I've just created a monster."

"What do you mean?" Officer Roulin asked.

"I mean, I might have just made him more determined. Either he will let it go or become obsessed with winning over the one person in school who isn't his biggest fan. Let's hope it's the first one."

"I think your over-thinking this thing, kiddo," he patted her on the back. "Anyway, I'm sure everything will be fine. I'll see you later."

"Where are you going?" Jessica asked curiously.

"Oh, nowhere," he smiled to himself. "I'm just... uh... taking my normal stroll around the neighborhood. You know, making sure nothing fishy is going on."

"You know you've got a car, right?"

"Yes! I know I have a car! I just need to get my exercise for the day."

"You do four hundred push ups every morning."

"Your point?" he asked. He spread out his arms in question as he walked away. She laughed to herself. Officer Roulin knew how to make her feel better; temporarily, anyway.

Jessica continued the short walk to her home. She could feel the temperature dropping. It wouldn't be too long until the snow started to move in. In Washington, the snow came early, and it came _hard_. And if it didn't snow, it was rain— _cold_ rain. It was so cold, it might as well have been snow.

The cold breeze blew against her as if trying to push her back the other way. She kept walking forward, although every inch of her body protested. She began to shiver and her teeth started to chatter. She couldn't wait until she got inside and fixed some hot chocolate. Or hot something. As long as it was hot, she didn't care.

As she walked inside, she was greeted by an unusual smell. Was that...? No, it couldn't be. But once Jessica heard humming coming from the kitchen, she knew it must be true. Her mother was home. And she was _cooking_. She never cooked, not anymore. As Jessica bursts into the kitchen to make sure she wasn't dreaming, she saw something else unusual. Her mother was wearing her apron. She never wore her apron, not anymore. What was going on?

"Mom?" Jessica asked uncertainly. She was almost starting to think her mother got replaced by an alien. She hadn't seen her mother like this in such a long time. She was cooking. She was humming. She was wearing her special cooking apron. Something good happened. Something _really_ good happened.

"Hey, Jess!" her mother smiled. She put down her mixing spoon and gave a Jessica a big, warm hug. It was as big of a hug as her mother could make it, at least. Her mother was a very skinny woman with a heart-shaped face and long, thin black hair. Her brown eyes were shining and as full of life as Jessica could ever remember. She hadn't seen her mom like that since her dad was still alive. "I'm fixing dinner!"

"Yeah, uh, I noticed," Jessica said, blinking twice when she saw the multiple pots with simmering contents on the stove. "What's—?"

"Oh, I am just having a really good day," her mother smiled. "Sit down, sweetie, and tell me about your day."

"It wasn't near as exciting as yours sounds." _Whoa, she did have a good day_.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you, just stop badgering me," Ms. Kramer grinned. She sat down in a seat at the small kitchen table. She motioned excitedly for Jessica to sit across from her.

"Okay, Mom, what's the deal?"

Her mother looked around the kitchen as if there were other people there and she didn't want them to hear. Jessica was suddenly reminded of a fourteen-year-old girl gushing about her crush. That is what made Jessica pop the big question...

"Mom, are you going on a _date_?" Jessica choked.

A look of disappointment crossed her mother's face. She was disappointed she didn't get to say the big news. Disappointment disappeared from her face and was replaced by an embarrassed smile. She nodded.

"Yeah," she said dreamily.

"Oh my god," Jessica breathed, "Mom, are you serious? Your... your going on a date?"

"Yes," her mother said, looking hurt. "Don't act so shocked. I've still got it. I'm still young and hip."

"I'm not saying you don't, Mom," Jessica lied quickly, "but you haven't been on a date since, well, you know."

Ms. Kramer nodded sadly.

"Oh, I know! I'm hopeless! That's one reason I said yes. I needed to put myself out there, you know? Before it's too late."

"Of course, Mom, of course," Jessica nodded. She was trying to be as supportive as possible. "So...?"

"So, what?"

"So, who is he?" Jessica asked enthusiastically. "What's he like? Is he nice? Is he cute? What's his job? What's his name?"

"I'm not totally going to give it away. I want you to know who he is when you meet him. I'll give you a hint, though." She looked cautiously around the room again. "He's in law enforcement."

"Oh, really? That's ni—" She was cut off mid-sentence. Realization hit her hard in the gut. She looked at her mother in astonishment. "Mom," she whispered.

"What?"

"Mom, does this mystery man happen to work nearby?"

"Actually, yes," said Ms. Kramer. "How did you—?"

"Does he happen to be a former Marine?"

"Yes, but how—?"

"Is he the neighborhood watchman?"

"Yes! Oh, your good at this."

"Mom!" Jessica exclaimed. She had the strong urge to puke and applaud all at the same time. She couldn't believe it! "Mom, are you going out with Officer Roulin?"

"Yes! Yes, I am. How do you know him?" she wanted to know.

"I talk to him every day after school," Jessica explained, still in shock. "He's like my best friend."

"Oh, good, than you already know each other," she smiled happily. "So, do you want spaghetti?"

"No, I don't want spaghetti!" Jessica exclaimed. "Mom, this is too awkward for me! I never expected when he told me he met an awesome girl and was going on a date with her he meant you!"

"He mentioned me?" she asked, smiling an embarrassed smile again.

"Mom! Come back to Earth, Mom! Not the point here!"

"I'm sorry, honey. I really like Richard."

"Richard?" Jessica asked, her gag reflex going crazy. "You just met and you're already on a first name basis?"

"Adults don't call each other Ms. Kramer and Officer Roulin, sweetie," Ms. Kramer laughed.

"I am an adult!"

"You're only seventeen."

"Which is an adult... technically!"

"I think you're overreacting."

"Oh, really? Am I? You haven't dated in years, you're never home, you never cook, I barely ever see you anymore, you never even wear that apron, you drink away your misery, and I am expected not to _overreact_?"

Her mother was silent. When she finally spoke, her hurt tone was like knifes in Jessica's stomach.

"I didn't know you felt that way."

"Mom, I—"

"Don't worry about it," she shooed it away with her hand as if it were a simple house fly. "Just... just go up to bed, honey. You look tired."

"Mom, please—"

"Just go to bed, Jessica Marie." Her tone was short and sharp and Jessica knew not to argue. Her mother never used her middle name unless she was angry or frustrated. Jessica sighed and went to bed. Guilt ate at her like a monster in her chest.

_Great_, she thought miserably, _I just ruined my mom's night_. _I bet Officer Roulin will give me an ear-full tomorrow afternoon_. _Good_. _I deserve it_. _What was wrong with me?_ _Why the hell did I do that? She finally gets a date and was cooking and humming and everything and I had to go and be an idiot and ruin it all for her_. _She hasn't cooked since Dad died! What the crap was I thinking?_

Jessica didn't sleep well at all. She could see the rest of the night in the eyes of her mother. She was probably going for the liquor cabinet again...

* * *

Drew woke up in his hotel room confused. He almost called for his regular butler to go get him his usual, but then he remembered where he was. He was in _Washington_. The source of all things boring and non-Hollywood. Could his manager have chosen a more secluded and boring place? The town he was in didn't even have five-star restaurant! Of course, Rachael said that it needed to be somewhere unknown as to cut down on the fan chases and he didn't want to seem too superficial with the whole thing. Since when had he cared if he came off superficial or not? He had millions of fans around the world; that's all he knew.

He got out of his soft hotel bed reluctantly and stared sourly out the window. There was no theater, no palm trees, no photographers, and none of the buildings were taller than two stories. What a dinky town to stay in. He had never thought he'd end up here...

But then again, as Rachael put it, it 'was all for his image', and that was pretty important. That was actually the most important thing in the world to him. Well, technically, making sure you have as many fans as possible was part of improving one's image, and he needed just one more fan: that mental girl who had the attitude.

As Drew got ready for school, he carefully planned out what he was going to do in his head. Maybe he would 'bump' into her, or perhaps he should just try the direct approach. For the first time in his life, when it came to a girl, he had no earthly idea what to do. She was something totally alien to him. She obviously wasn't impressed by the fact he was himself, and that alone usually knocked the ladies dead. He had even used the smile—_the _smile—and it didn't work. But then again, that was unfair because he was knocked off-guard and his smile probably hadn't had it's full effect. True, he would definitely try the smile again.


	3. Chapter 3

Drew heard a knock on his hotel room door.

"Mr. Hitley?" he heard his chauffeur ask timidly. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Almost, Larry," he answered.

"It's Harry, sir."

"Whatever."

Drew looked in the bathroom mirror and fixed his hair. Image was everything—that was his motto. He straightened up his designer coat and practiced his 'knock 'em dead' smile. The first one was alright... the second one was iffy... the third one was even worse. What was wrong with him? He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He imagined the girl in front of him with the usual annoyed smirk on her face. He opened his eyes and tried it again. It was better—oh, who was he kidding? He didn't have 'it' today. She'd done something else unbelievable to him: he'd lost his charming smile. What was next? By tomorrow would his hair look like crap, too?

He scowled and stalked out of the hotel room, nearly knocking over his chauffeur who was waiting outside of the door.

"Is everything alright, sir?" Harry asked.

"Not now, Barry," Drew mumbled dismissively.

Harry the chauffeur sighed. No need to teach Drew how to memorize other people's names. It's not like he cared about them, anyway.

On the way to school, Drew didn't bother to stand up out of the sunroof and wave to the anxious group of girls waiting beside the sidewalk for him. He didn't want to chance messing up his hair. That, and his handsome face was all he had left. By tomorrow, yet another one of his best features could be missing. He had to take care of them while they were still around.

"Hey, Drew," the girls breathed as he got out of the limousine. Drew didn't answer. He just stuck his hands in his coat pockets and kept his head down as he walked towards the doors. They stumbled along behind him in their high heeled boots, trying not to trip over each other or themselves. They weren't used to having to run, and keeping up with him wasn't easy. When he wanted to, he had a really long stride. "Drew," they whined.

He didn't hear them. He was absorbed in his thoughts. How could this have happened? Why did he have to come to this stupid school anyway? He knew why. It was because he was being himself and partying instead of studying, that's why. But could anyone blame him? Studying was so boring! He couldn't stand boring things. He needed exciting. He needed chance. He needed unpredictability. Otherwise, life was lifeless.

If he thought about it, he suppose he should have studied more. If he had, maybe his mother would be more happy with him and didn't think he was turning into, as she called it, "a heartless, one-dimensional jerk". Well, she didn't use the word jerk, but it would be better not to say what she _did_ use. Plus, if he had studied, he could still be in Hollywood having the time of his life and not at this stupid educational prison. Not to mention that article would have never come out in the first place.

Drew's train of thought was interrupted. He'd been so out of it he'd run into someone! But as it turned out, it was both the first and last person he wanted to see.

"God, watch where you're going!" the dark-haired girl said angrily. She was on the ground rubbing her head. Her books were strewn across the floor.

Once again, the girl had Drew speechless. What was he supposed to say? Did he trust himself to let anything come out of his mouth that didn't end up infuriating her?

"My bad," he heard himself say.

"Yeah!" she agreed. She got on her knees and starting picking up her books and her bag.

"Sorry," he said, usual swagger returning, "I was just thinking about... never mind."

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure your life is very demanding," she muttered sarcastically. She was still picking up her belongings. This was his chance.

Drew bent down to help her pick up her books. Unfortunately, at the same time, Jessica noticed his knees bending and she looked up. With a painful collision, they bumped heads. They both groaned in pain and rubbed their foreheads.

"Is your new mission in life to injure me as much as possible?" the girl asked frustratedly.

"No," he answered. He, once again, didn't know what else to say.

She rolled her eyes and stood up cautiously, careful to avoid his head. She had finally finished packing her bag. She looked into her backpack and checked to make sure she had all of her books. She counted them with her index finger. Her heart skipped a beat. Before she had bumped into Drew, four books were in her bag and now there were only three.

"Where is it?" she asked herself. "Where's my other one?" She continued to sort through her bag looking for it, hoping that maybe it was hiding in-between two of the books or in the bottom.

"_Call of the Wild_," Drew read, looking at the book in his hand. A large brown dog standing in the middle of the cold Yukon was on the cover. The dog was in the shadow of a howling wolf. Drew had never heard of it. Of course, he hadn't heard of a lot of books. He wasn't a very avid reader.

The dark-haired girl's head snapped up and quickly yanked the book of out Drew's hands. Her bright eyes drilled into his with angry force.

"Thanks," she mumbled. She placed it gingerly in her bag and zipped it up. With one last annoyed glare and an angry huff, she stalked around him and turned the corner to the next hallway. Drew had noticed one thing about this school, and that was that it was like a maze. He didn't know why, but his legs moved him automatically after her.

"Hey!" Drew exclaimed. To her dismay, it didn't take long for him to catch up with her. He was fairly tall and had long legs. "Wait."

Jessica ignored him and opened up locker _171_. This was her locker, and lucky for her, the door blocked view of his face. Drew quickly resolved that problem and ran to her other side.

"What's your name?" he asked her. When she continued to take books out of her bag and put them in her locker like he wasn't there, he asked again. "What is your name?"

"None of your business," was her quick reply. He scowled. She was stubborn, too. When she looked up, he was going to try _the smile_ one more time.

"You know," he began, trying to sound as alluring as possible, "I am just gonna keep asking until you answer."

"I just did."

"I mean your name."

"Then good luck."

This was harder than he thought, but he'd learned when it came to her things always took an unexpected turn. He leaned against the locker next to hers and stuck his hands into his pants pockets. When she looked up, he tried the smile one more time. She quickly looked away and stared at the back of her locker. For a split second, Drew thought it had worked. She bit her lip and slammed her locker door. She looked up at his face.

"You know," she smiled, "it's too bad that I'm not more naive or that might have worked. By the way, it looks like you're trying a bit too hard."

He was torn. It didn't work. He really was losing his touch. But Drew persevered and kept up with the same question.

"What's your name?" he asked again. The girl adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder and walked away. He followed her, still determined. "What's your name?"

"Not telling you."

"What's your name?"

"None of your business."

"What's your name?"

"Your acting so immature."

"What's your name?"

"Leave me alone!"

"You know, if you don't tell me, I'll just ask one of your classmates."

"Good luck with that," she sniggered, "none of them know my name either."

"What's up with you and not telling people who you are?" Drew asked. This girl became more and more deep the more he talked to her. She was full of surprises.

She rounded on him and once again fixed him with an icy stare. It was icy, literally. The blue-green of her eyes was almost hypnotic.

"Once again," she scowled, "that is none of your business. I am trying to stay calm with you, but your making it really hard."

"That's you being _calm_?"

"My name is Jessica! Jessica Kramer! There, I told you! Now, please, will you leave me alone?" she exclaimed. Drew smiled. He had finally made her crack.

"Jessica," he repeated thoughtfully. "Not a bad name. I dated a girl named Jessica once. Of course, she ended up being totally self-absorbed which was a real turn-off."

Jessica groaned. Was he serious?

"Look, I'd love to stand here and chat, but—"

"Then why don't we?"

Jessica looked at the ground quickly before color started rising in her cheeks. She didn't like the tone he was using.

"But I really wouldn't like to stay and chat, so..." she turned back around and started heading to first period, Language and Literature. He continued to walk right behind her. "Stop following me, please." The only reason she wasn't yelling was because now the hall was full of people.

"I'm not following you," he said obviously. "I have the same first period as you do."

_I know_, she thought miserably. _Why won't he leave me the hell alone?_

"Hey, Jessica," Drew whispered into her ear, "what was last night's homework?"

Jessica took a seat in a desk in the back of the small classroom. Drew followed her example. Once the girls saw Drew enter, they not-so-casually made their way over to the desks closest to him. Unfortunately for them, Jessica had the one desk that was closest. Jessica would have done anything to trade it, but Ms. Warren slammed the door and started class.

"Psst, Jessica," he whispered again, "what was last night's homework?"

"Like I'd tell you," she whispered out of the corner of her mouth. "Why didn't you do it?"

"I was busy."

"Looking in the mirror?"

"Duh," Drew rolled his blue eyes. "Give me the answers."

"Uh, no."

"Why not?"

"It's time you learn you can't get out of everything by taking advantage of other people. You can't just smile and get what you want. If you are gonna learn one thing at this school, it's what happens when you don't turn in homework in Ms. Warren's class."

"What's that supposed to—"

"Pass up homework!" Ms. Warren said curtly. "Your assignment was to tell me your favorite piece of literature and why you loved it. I suppose you all did it. For your sake, let's hope you did."

Jessica got a piece of paper out of her binder and passed it up the row. Drew glanced over everyone in the room, seeing if anyone besides himself had neglected to do the homework. Everyone had done it, even the slackers. He opened his notebook and wrote down a totally random name he came up with off the top of his head. Then, for the reason he loved it so much, he wrote, _because the characters were so emotional_. He thought that sounded sensitive.

He quickly passed it up to the people in front of him. Ms. Warren received the papers and looked over them carefully. When she came to one, she slammed it on her desk.

"Who wrote that _The Little Engine That Could_ was their favorite piece of literature?" she asked dangerously. A squeamish-looking slacker raised his hand. "Why?" she whispered.

He shrugged. "My mom read it to me when I was three. Apparently, I liked it."

"Are you sure you couldn't have put a book that had more than two-syllable words?" she asked, glaring.

He shrugged again. "Whatever."

"Whatever?" she repeated. "_Whatever?_"

"Yeah."

"Well, sir, you're about to see what happens to people who say 'whatever' in my class," she said. Ms. Warren walked over to her desk and opened a top drawer. Her short figure's posture seemed to straighten when she found what she was looking for. Her long gray hair swung over her shoulder. She found it.

Jessica sighed and messaged her temples.

"What is it?" Drew asked.

"You'll see," she answered.

Ms. Warren held up a single blue lighter. She picked up the slacker's paper off of her desk.

"This paper was poorly done and no effort was extorted at all," Ms. Warren announced, holding up the paper and lighter for the class to see. "Now, watch what happens to the paper once I give it a grade."

Ms. Warren held the paper up above her head, and with a click, lit the lighter. It's flame met the bottom of the boy's paper. She took her finger off of the button that kept the flame lit and it went out, but the paper didn't. The orange and yellow flames swelled over the paper, charring it black. She dropped the paper into the empty trashcan. Many classmates watched in shock as it continued to burn. Finally, the flame flickered out and Ms. Warren looked at the boy to whom the paper belonged.

"I worked five whole minutes on that!" he said sadly.

"Really? Five whole minutes?" Ms. Warren asked with fake concern. "I had no idea you had spent that long. Honestly, I hadn't. I assumed you spent something a little more accurate, like two."

She stalked up to the front of his desk and stared him down with her fiery glare.

"Now, Mr. Reynolds," she said in a deadly whisper, "I am hoping that this has taught you a lesson. I expect you to try your hardest in my class and exert every once of effort your brains can give me. Literature and language is a beautiful thing, and it will help you through life. Now, next time—this goes for all of you—I hope you all will try a bit harder, or I might just end up having a nice cozy bonfire in front of my desk."

The room was full of deathly silence. Many people barely dared to breathe. She picked up the stack of homework and began filing through it again.

"Whoa," Drew raised his eyebrows, "Extreme."

"Try not to fall asleep, superstar," Jessica whispered smugly, "then she sprays you with a Supersoaker."

"No way."

"I'm dead serious."

Ms. Warren came to another one and froze. Drew's heart skipped a beat. He knew it must be his.

"Ah, Mr. Hitley," she smiled diabolically, "I see that your favorite piece of literature was _Fast Hearts_. To give you the benefit of the doubt, it sounds like a good novel, but I am afraid that I have never heard of it."

"That's to bad, Ms. Warren. It, uh, was a very interesting read," he said, turning on the charm he used with all of the other teachers.

"Ah, really? Who is the author?" she asked, her eyebrows knitting. Her tone was still icily polite.

"Fredrick Brasher," Drew said automatically. He used the name of a small character that no one had noticed in one of his movies.

Jessica sat up straighter in her desk. She smiled with interest.

_He's obviously lying_, she thought. _Finally, the moment comes. I finally get to see this shooting star crash and burn_.

"Fredrick Brasher," Ms. Warren repeated. "Hmm, I am afraid I have never heard of him either."

Drew's smile had gained back it's usual charm. Girls watched him with interest, staring at him happily as if they were not worthy. He adjusted his coat collar. He was going to pull out his inner actor.

"He is an undiscovered genius," he said simply and full of emotion. "He came to me during a photo signing and begged me to sign his forehead and read his book. Of course, being the generous soul I am, I excepted. I am very studious, and the second I had any free-time I opened up the book. Of course, I wasn't expecting much at first, but then I gave it a chance."

Jessica glanced at Ms. Warren. She was positive she would see her own facial expression reflected on Ms. Warren's face. To her udder befuddlement, Ms. Warren's face was not dubious like her own. It was interested. It wanted to hear more.

"Go on," Ms. Warren nodded, taking a seat in her desk. Drew smiled his famous smile thankfully and stood up out of his desk. He strutted to the front of the room. This was his time to rope in the tough teacher.

"Well, there I was, in my trailer reading. Of course, I couldn't read it as much and as fast as I would have liked, because of my busy schedule, of course—you understand," he added, looking back at Ms. Warren.

She nodded.

"But after chapter one, my interest was captured. The book connected with me and spoke to my soul in soft, hushed tones. It spoke to me. Naturally, I had to read more."

"Of course," Ms. Warren nodded. "I see."

All of the girls in the classroom stared at him dreamily. Jessica rolled her eyes and gagged. Was _Ms. Warren_, the _Warrenator_, actually buying this crap?

Drew continued, putting on his best face (which wasn't that hard), and his blue eyes gazed up dreamily at the ceiling.

"I remember when I first got to the part where Alicia and Ricardo first met," he admitted, putting his hand to his chest. The girls sighed.

"He's so sensitive," breathed a girl nearby to Jessica. Jessica snorted. Alicia and Ricardo? Honestly? They sounded like names off of a soap opera.

"They, at first, had difficulty," said Drew, "but what relationship doesn't? They had to make sacrifices for their love."

Ms. Warren watched him with admiring eyes.

"At first, they acted like they couldn't stand each other, which was a modern twist to the classic Shakespearean 'love-at-first-sight' concept," he continued. Drew's eyes met Jessica's and locked with them. "Although they at first were at each others' throats, the boy was infatuated by this girl. He'd never met anything like her. She was a total alien to him in every way." Suddenly, all fake emotion and deceitfulness disappeared from his voice. His nose crinkled slightly as his eyebrows knitted. His blue eyes were still locked with Jessica's. "But he thinks he likes it."

Jessica's mind was wiped blank. _What?_

Drew's deep blue eyes looked away from Jessica and he continued on. He began to act again.

"It was astonishing. Being in as many successful movies as I have, two of them being romances, I knew what it was like when a heroine captures the attention of the guy. But when I was reading the book, it was like for the first time, I _felt the emotion_."

"And that would be why you wrote on your paper that the characters were full of emotion," Ms. Warren understood.

"Exactly," Drew nodded.

Jessica couldn't believe what was happening. Was she the _only person_ in the entire school who saw him for what he was, a fake?

"Anyways," Drew said, facing Ms. Warren. All wistfulness and drama had left his voice. "That's the 411 on that book."

Drew returned to his desk with his usual swagger multiplied by ten. He was a genius. He'd done it again!

Every girl in the class with the exception of Jessica immediately began clapping. Ms. Warren joined in with—what was that—a smile? The boys just sat there with a look of admiration. Drew had just succeeded in roping in the toughest teacher known to mankind.

"Well done, Mr. Hitley, well done!" Ms. Warren applauded him. "Great! Unbelievable! You were so in-tune with the book, so in-touch with the mood and the emotions. Fantastic!"

"Thank you, thank you," Drew grinned triumphantly. He turned his head towards Jessica. He raised his eyebrows. He smiled at her with his charming smile. "How about that?"

She kept a clear and somewhat unbiased mind.

"It was completely fake," she said tunelessly.

"Well, duh, of course it was," he smirked obviously, "but _they_ don't know that."

The applause was just beginning to die down.

"Every bit of it was a lie and you _still_ get off the hook," she said angrily. "It's unfair! We all have to work our butts off and you just have to go up there and give a cheesy monologue."

"In my defense, it was not cheesy," Drew said, anger starting to rise. He had tried. He had tried hard on his _monologue_. Duh.

"It was cheesy."

"Was not."

"Was too!"

"Was not."

"You're impossible!"

"You're impossibler!"

"That's not even a word," Jessica argued.

"Says you," he snapped.

"Says the _dictionary_," Jessica scowled. "Do you know what that is? Or do I have to give you a long, _cheesy_ monologue about how it defines words, too?"

"Alright, everyone, quiet!" Ms. Warren exclaimed. The room was silent immediately. "I want everyone to read chapter one of _The Scarlet Letter_ tonight. I want you all to write a summary of it and then turn it into me tomorrow. Mr. Hitley," she added, turning to him with a smile, "I expect yours to be as brilliant as today's piece. You could almost call it poetry." She gave a girly giggle and continued class.


	4. Chapter 4

For the rest of the period, Jessica and Drew were either silently arguing or giving each other dirty looks. Drew sometimes glanced over at Jessica when she wasn't looking and studied her. When she would glance over, he would quickly turn his look into a look of disgust. The look of disgust would always disappear the second she looked away.

He noticed how her black waves fell around her face and slightly shaped it. Her thick hair waved and flipped out and in slightly until it reached her chest. Her white tank top and and light blue button-up sweater shaped her curvy figure delicately. Her jeans were clean and a dark denim. She had on an old-looking black necklace. Her blue quarter-inch sleeved sweater matched her eyes exactly. It almost made them glow. Once again, he'd never seen anything like her.

When the bell signaling it was time for second period finally rang, Jessica got up from her seat as fast as possible. She was determined not to have him follow her to her next class.

Jessica arrived in her next class, Biology, a little early. She took a seat in the spot where she thought Drew wouldn't want to sit. Of course, when she was in Language and Literature she sat in the back. She thought that was the last place Drew would want to sit and he followed her there without a second thought. Nevertheless, the desk and that was directly beside her was disgusting. No one ever sat there. No one even tried to sit near it. If you purposefully sat near it, you were considered weird—but then again, Jessica was used to that. She had a purpose. If Drew wanted to sit anywhere near her, let alone this close to her, he would have no option except _The Desk_.

Every bit of polished wood had been ripped off of the top of it. You could see where people over the years had gotten Sharpies and drawn all over it, but now it just looked like a rainbow had thrown up. You could still make out some blurry swear words that people had written out of pure angst. Gums of various colors and ages were all over the bottom of the desk, so you could not sit in it without getting the gum all over your legs. It was gross. It was disgusting. It was perfect!

Drew rushed in, and after a moment of searching, found who he was looking for.

_Perfect, the desk beside her is even closer than last time_, he thought.

But then, he saw it. A look came across his face that made Jessica struggle to keep from laughing out loud. His blue eyes were wide, his mouth was agape, and she snorted. She covered her mouth quickly when his eyes darted to her. Jessica looked around like she hadn't done anything.

_Just like I thought. It's perfect_, Jessica thought triumphantly. _Let's see him get out of this one._

Drew looked around the room for a teacher. The professor for Biology was not in the classroom yet, and only two other people were there besides himself and Jessica. He smiled alluringly at her and made his way towards her desk.

The smile started to fade from Jessica's face and turn into a scowl. What was he doing? Why was he looking so happy about it? The Desk was nothing to be happy about!

Drew approached her with a whispered, "Nice try." He simply lifted The Desk and moved it over a row. He moved a perfectly clean and good looking desk even closer to Jessica than the other one was. It was impossible for him to scoot the desk any closer. The two desks' wooden arms were touching.

Jessica's jaw dropped with a whimper. Of course. He'd found a way around that, too.

"Argh!" she groaned.

"Again, nice try," Drew smiled. "Ha. I appreciate all of the effort you give to try and stay away from me."

"Shut up," Jessica whined in a defeated tone.

"Why? I mean, I sit by you for a reason, you know."

"And what would that be?"

"To annoy you," he half-lied. That was true, getting on her nerves was fun, but there was another reason. She wasn't just going to be his fan, she was going to be his number one fan if he had his way—and you know he always did. That was what he wanted to believe, anyway.

"Leave me alone," she whined. That was probably the third time she had used those words that day, and she was going to use them many more.

Jessica repeatedly hit her head on her desk.

"Why me?" she mumbled. "Why me? Why me? Why me?"

"Guess you're just lucky," said Drew. He winked at her.

Jessica hid her face in her hands. This was so confusing! She was thinking the exact things that every girl in the high school had on their mind—why was he giving _her_ the time of day? Out of all of the girls in the school, why was he choosing her? She wasn't popular, she wasn't social, and she wanted nothing to do with this guy. Why wouldn't he just accept the fact that not _every person_ in the world was a fan? It was because it would arouse the fact that he wasn't perfect in every way, that's why.

Miss Shirley, the Biology teacher, walked into the room and people quieted down. A couple of more students rushed in right before the bell rang. She wrote down an assignment on the board. Her thick blond hair fell into her eyes as she looked at a piece of paper on her desk.

Miss Shirley was a twenty-five year old who had just recently gotten her teaching degree and was new to the school that year. She was an attractive blond with a curvy body and repeatedly plucked eyebrows. Many of the girls joked about how one day, she probably wouldn't have any eyebrows left. They claimed they could tell that every day her eyebrows were less hair and more eyeliner. Many of the high school boys just hit on her and dropped hints that they'd go on a date with her in a heart beat. She just ignored them with a little huff and a wave of her hand.

And, predictably, she was a big Drew Hitley fan. She didn't hit on him... exactly... but she always gave a big smile and started rocking on her heels when he was in her class. She was a teacher who he could easily get out of homework with. All he had to do was smile and give an obviously poorly thought out excuse and he was home-free.

"Everyone," she said in her young voice, "today we will be doing something I am hoping all of you are familiar with."

Miss Shirley picked up a dry erase marker and began writing on the board, _Dissection_. Many of the boys cheered loudly and the girls groaned. Jessica's face turned pale.

_Dissection?_ She thought. _Honestly? Please, no. Weren't we supposed to do that in tenth grade and have it over with?_

"Now, I know you all did this last year, but I took a look at the averages on that quiz and I honestly felt they could be a lot higher," Miss Shirley explained.

Jessica's eyes darted to Drew. What was the pampered star going to think about having to take out parts of a frog?

Drew didn't look disturbed at all, to her surprise. He almost looked unusually relaxed. Drew glanced over at Jessica. His eyes widened as he noticed Jessica's coloring.

"Wow, you're pale," Drew said with amusement.

_Duh_, Jessica thought.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Drew whispered to her. "What's your problem?"

Jessica just shook her head. She was scared if she opened her mouth she would vomit. She didn't do blood. Or body parts. Or cutting up animals, for that matter. If it involved blood _whatsoever_, she refused to have anything to do with it. Blood made her feel faint and sick to her stomach. Just the way it sloshed around, the way the dark red liquid's consistency churned, it made her turn green. Her white face was already starting to turn green just thinking about it.

"We are dissecting frogs today," said Miss Shirley. "I know it's a little basic, but we have to start with the basics to truly understand what we are studying."

Then another thought struck Jessica hard in the stomach. This thought made her even more sick to her stomach than the blood, believe it or not. When they dissected things, they had partners. And when they were assigned partners, they always were assigned the people sitting closest to them. And in Jessica's case, that was Drew. Girls began looking back longingly at him and jealously at Jessica.

"Everybody, your partners will be the person sitting closest to you. Of course," she added, a nervous smile crossing her face, "Drew, if you want a different partner, I am sure I could arrange someone else to—"

"No," Drew said quickly, "thank you. I am perfectly fine with my partner."

"Alright," Miss Shirley nodded. "Okay, every pair of partners come up to a table and begin to dissect your frog. Drew, Jessica has done this course before, so she can show you what to do."

Their teacher sat down at her desk in a very business-like fashion.

"You may begin."

"So," Jessica managed to choke out, her voice cracking, "I'm surprised you're not freaking out about this."

"Oh," Drew grinned, his eyebrows raising, "I'm a movie star, Jessica. I'm used to fake blood and violence and stuff like that."

"This isn't fake blood, though. It's real."

"What's the difference?" Drew laughed.

Once Jessica thought about it, she was sure the look of it was about the same. But to her, the thought of real blood or fake blood was unbearable.

"What's the matter?" Drew asked, a tone of mockery in his voice. He picked up the frog off of the table and flopped it around in his hands. "You no like blood?"

Jessica looked at the frog as if it was an atom bomb that was about to detonate. She regretted this the second the triumphant smile spread across Drew's features.

"Oh, so you don't like blood."

"I think we've established that," Jessica said hoarsely.

"Oh, I know, I know," he said, placing the frog back in it's appropriate position on the table. "I was just wondering how this was gonna work..."

"What?"

"You know, this partnership. I'm not sure how well we're going to do when I am the one doing all of the work. I would actually be putting in effort, and we can't have that. I mean, come on, honestly."

Drew snorted in laughter.

"I—I can't," Jessica stuttered, her face turning as green as the frog. "I get sick to my stomach and..."

She couldn't finish the sentence.

"I understand..." Drew said aimlessly, playing with his latex glove. "You know, if you really get sick doing this, I'll do it for you."

This generous gesture surprised both of them. Drew barely remembered thinking it before he said it out loud.

"Really?" Jessica asked, sheer surprise totally overwhelming her voice. "Um, thanks. I guess."

The right corner of his mouth went up automatically, creating a kind of half-smile. It was actually very becoming.

"Wait," Jessica said, her tone flattening, "what's the catch?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Drew said honestly.

"You just did something _nice_ and _selfless_," Jessica explained. "There must be a catch somewhere."

"No catch," Drew shook his head, "just a condition."

Jessica groaned. She knew it was too good to be true. Of course he wouldn't do something for her benefit without getting something else in return.

"No way," Jessica refused.

"Alright," Drew shrugged, picking up the frog again. He pulled on it's right arm and made a fake cracking noise. "If you think you can all of a sudden handle it..."

Jessica looked from his face to the frog to his face again. The cracking noise he had just made nearly made her go over the edge. A little bit of throw up had caught in her throat and she swallowed it down quickly.

"Fine!" she broke down. She ran her hand through her thick dark hair. "What's the 'condition'?"

"I'm not asking much, I promise," he said seriously, putting the frog down again. "Then again, you'd probably hold it equal to me asking you to commit a murder."

"Just get on with it."

"Promise me," he said absently, playing with one of the scalpels, "that you'll keep an open mind."

"An open mind," she repeated. "You want me to keep... an open mind."

"Yeah," he said, trading in the scalpel for a pencil. He twirled it in his hands. "Promise you'll keep an open mind. Promise me that you'll stop acting like it's causing you pain every time I talk to you."

She huffed. What did he care if she had an 'open mind'?

"Jessica," he said, short and sharp. She was suddenly reminded of her mother's tone the previous night. "I'm serious."

His eyes locked with hers.

"I care," he said, all playfulness out of his voice now.

"You... care?" she asked, bewildered. "About what?"

"About you keeping an open mind," he added hastily.

Jessica's eyes darted to the frog and her stomach churned.

"You have a deal," she said quietly.

"Good," he smiled, usual swagger returning to his voice. "Now, you go to the bathroom or something and I'll start taking apart this baby."

Jessica didn't wait to be told twice. Miss Shirley gave her permission to go to the girls' room and she took her time. She simply leaned against the bathroom wall to relax. She closed her eyes and sighed as the nausea subsided. Maybe Drew Hitley could be _kind of_ nice when he wanted to be...

Lunch was a completely different story. Predictably, Drew tried to follow Jessica around the entire time. To his dismay, he was dragged in by the massive crowd of girls who had been looking forward to sitting with him all day at lunch. Fight as he might against the crazed fans, they pulled him in easily and effortlessly. Their great numbers swallowed him whole right as he was about to follow an irritable Jessica to a table.

The mass of girls sat him down in a chair right in the middle of their table. They crowded around him and made sure their chairs were so close they couldn't be scooted any closer. The girls were squealing quietly to themselves, although when their voices were combined the room almost sounded like a rock concert. The teachers would have tried to quiet them down, but they were smart enough to know not to attempt. If you wanted quiet, this was a hopeless situation.

Once all of the girls were as close to him as possible, Drew was bombarded with questions.

"So, Drew, do you have a girlfriend?" one lanky brunette asked.

"Because if you don't," a curvy blond cut in, "I'm free."

"What's your next movie, Drew?" a close by Asian girl asked. "Do you need a leading lady?"

"See anything you like?" more than one girl was saying. However, Drew barely heard one of these questions. The cafeteria just sounded like it was drowned in endless babble. He couldn't understand anyone and no one could understand him. Girls were crowded around every inch of his personal space and he could have sworn he was developing a bad case of claustrophobia.

"Ladies! Ladies! Please," he finally had to scream. "One at a time! One at a time! The Drew can't answer every one of your questions at once. I need a little more quiet."

Who was he kidding? He needed lots of quiet. He felt like he wanted to lock himself in a dark room and just listen to the silence. He wanted it to be so quiet it hurt.

"Sorry," he heard apologetic murmurs. The girls gradually quieted down and he sighed in relief. Just when he was about to ask the girls one question at a time, he decided against it. Actually, he would just prefer not to hear talking at all. Unfortunately, this quiet didn't last long.

"Oh, I can't stand it!" a tall blond exclaimed in the silence. She was the same girl Jessica had talked to the day of Drew's arrival. "Why are you hanging out with that loser?"

"What loser?" Drew asked. How dare she suggest he, _The_ Drew Hitley, associated with _losers. Outcasts. Unpopular people._

"Don't be coy with me," she said, absentmindedly drawing a circle on the table with her finger. "You know who I am talking about."

"No, honestly I don't."

"I am talking about that geek Jess Kraner!"

"Do you mean Jessica Kramer?"

"Whatever," she dismissed it, waving it away with her hand. "Why are you hanging around with that dork? She's not popular. She's not one of _us_. She's not your kind of person."

Drew sat up a little straighter in his chair, a feeling unknown to him stirring in the pit of his stomach.

"Why do you think you know what I need?" he asked, folding his hands together.

"Um, excuse me?" the blond girl asked. She sounded timid. She was not used to anyone, let alone a boy, using this tone with her. She was hopelessly confused.

"I said, why do you think you know what I need?"

Silence in the cafeteria was dead. No one spoke. No one dared to breathe.

_What's going on?_ Jessica thought. She was sitting alone, as usual, on the other side of the cafeteria. She usually sat as far away from the snobby girls as possible. She sighed exasperatedly. _What do I wanna bet it has something to do with Mr. Bigshot?_

She rose from her chair and was unnoticed as she tip-toed closer to the source of the silence. All eyes were on Drew and the poor, confused girl who dared to cross him.

"I don't know what the big deal is," the girl insisted, blinking profusely. "All I did was ask you a question, Drew."

"Don't," Drew said, drawing himself to full height. His voice sounded restrained and somewhat calm. His normally smooth and alluring voice was now low and quiet. It sounded strangely dangerous and like it didn't fit him at all. "Don't call her that. She's not. She's—she's more than you know. She's more than you'll ever know."

The girl looked so taken aback it appeared she would fall out of her chair. Her mouth was slightly agape and her eyes were wide.

Jessica wondered who they were talking about. In the back of her mind, though, she thought she knew.

It was time for Drew to strike the final blow. With a motion as quick as lightening, he stood up out of his chair and it nearly knocked over. He said his final words slowly and full of anger,

"Maybe she is exactly what I want. Maybe—maybe she is exactly what I need."

The table of girls gasped and astonished whispers filled the room. Drew, with a dignified snort, stalked out of the room with his head down. He was going to go somewhere where no one would ever expect he would be. He needed a place where it was quiet and calm and he could be alone.

A janitors' closet would be a dark and quiet place, but then he reminded himself of the smelly chemicals and rats that would probably be there. Drew considered an empty classroom, but it probably wouldn't be empty for long. Then he knew where he'd go. No one would ever expect him to hide out there.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Alright, guys. Let me get started on a ramble here... LOL**_

_**I just wanna make sure you guys know how much I appreciate you. I never imagined this kind of publicity/reviews/readers for this! It is completely beyond my expectations, and a 13 year-old's expectations are only so high! On a scale from 1-10, it was a 7. You guys are making it a 30! thank you so much!**_

_**In response to some ppl asking me to change the names, I really wish I could, but I can't. I have already written 8 chapters worth, and I'd have to go back and change it all, which would take 80 billion years LOL. Again, really srry!**_

_**One more time: THANK YOU! Keep reviewing! No flames, please, just constructive criticism! And more great ideas you guys are full of!**_

_**Tell your friends!**_

_**P.S.- I already put a disclaimer on the top of the 1st chapter. That goes for the whole book! ;)**_

Chapter 5

Jessica had a strange impulse to follow Drew, but she thought better of it. This was what she wanted, right? To be alone? He'd finally gone off by himself.

But that was just it. Drew never ran away from crowds of fans—or people, for that matter. Something was definitely wrong. Jessica had just caught the end of the argument and she was still confused, but she had never seen him like that before. In his movies, when he was playing a character that was angry, he simply just knitted his eyebrows and tried to shout. But that was real. Yes, that was definitely real.

If they were talking about the person Jessica thought they were talking about, then Drew had just done something else she'd thought impossible.

He'd just shown emotion.

He not only had shown emotion; he'd just shown emotion for _her_.

And because of this, she felt obligated to follow.

But what if they weren't talking about her? And if she followed him, he'd automatically assume that she cared, which was not the message she wanted to send. If she followed him, he'd never let her forget it.

What was she to do?

When Drew didn't show up in Government, the class after lunch, Jessica realized it was worse than she thought.

_Oh, God, he's gone to his hotel_, she thought. _Was it really that bad?_

Jessica thought about it considerately. If she was Drew Hitley, what would she be feeling? Even for a drama king like Drew, there was no way one little squabble would have made him blow up like that. It had to be the finishing piece on a big pile of troubles.

Although he thought he was God's gift to women and the best guy around, his life couldn't have been easy. She knew for a fact that rising to fame was something that took sacrifices and hard work. She was sure the hard work probably came from Drew's manager and the people working around him, but nevertheless, it had to be stressful. He was chased by girls constantly, and she could tell it annoyed him at some points. When he wanted it, it was heaven, but when he wanted to be alone, it was torture.

When she thought about it, he also had to make sure his every move was perfect. When people watched his every move, Drew had to make sure he appeared flawless to the press. And she also knew for a fact that a bad article was printed about him recently and it must really hurt his image. After all, he was just a teenager—as was she—and she knew what it was like to be discriminated against. Once she really considered it, they were more alike than she might have thought.

Maybe he didn't go back to his hotel. She didn't see his convertible leave or his limo stop by (she was craftily watching the road without anyone noticing). He was still somewhere in the school, and she knew that no one else had the guts to go look for him, even his hundreds of so-called 'soul mates'.

She knew she'd regret it, but she made up her mind. She was going to find him.

Jessica's hand shot into the air.

"Uh, Mrs. Winston?" Jessica asked the Government teacher. "May I go to the bathroom?"

"Is it a life or death situation?" Mrs. Winston asked with a sigh. Her annoyed eyes glared at Jessica tiredly.

"Yes, ma'am," Jessica nodded convincingly.

"Go," her teacher answered, turning back to her computer.

Jessica quickly got out of her chair and walked calmly out of the classroom. The second she was out of any teachers' line of sight, she broke into a run.

_If I were Drew Hitley, where would I hide?_ she asked herself.

Jessica ran to empty classrooms that were not used during fifth period. With every one, disappointment overtook her more and more. Panting, she sat down in a stray chair in a deserted hallway. Well, any classroom was out.

_If I were Drew Hitley, where would I hide besides a classroom?_ Jessica thought. _Maybe he would hide in a janitor's closet?_

Then she thought better of that. There were usually rats and stinky chemicals. Heck, she wouldn't even hide in one of those!

_Drew, where are you?_ she thought desperately. _Wait, can I hear myself? It'll be okay... he's okay... why do I care? It's just because I owe him for the whole frog thing. Yeah, that's it. That's the only reason I want to find him. Well, that, and that might have been me they were talking about. Maybe..._

She was absorbed in her thoughts as she wandered aimlessly through the halls. They were more alike than she'd thought... they were more alike than she'd thought... they were more alike...

Where would she hide? Then the answer hit her hard. Joy overwhelmed her and she had a light feeling from her stomach all the way to the top of her chest. A smile spread across her face. She knew where he was.

The library doors flew open as Jessica ran into the room. The sudden break in silence made many book readers look up and give her annoyed looks.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I have to be quiet. Right. My bad."

Her eyes frantically scanned all of the faces sitting in the large room. Jessica's eyes scanned the thin shag carpet for any sign of Drew's presence. She unfortunately found none.

Happiness drained out of her in a tiring rush. Her run around the school had been pure adrenaline, and she blindly leaned upon a nearby bookshelf. She had a painful stitch in her side, she just realized. She put her hand to her side and rubbed gingerly, as if that would help. In a last attempt to raise her crumbling spirits, she wondered through the aisles looking for Drew.

Once again, he was doing something she would have never thought possible. Her spirits soared and she nearly lost control and ran up to him in joy. She caught control of herself right before she made that mistake. Instead, she hid behind the side of the bookshelf and peeked around the corner. She observed the amazing sight.

Drew was looking at _books_. He would occasionally glance around cautiously before getting another book off of the shelf and opening it to read the summary. His dark blond hair slightly fell into his eyes as he skimmed. His hair was barely long enough to reach his eyebrows, but it did—barely. She even caught herself smiling as she watched him look at them. With a snap of realization, Jessica stopped looking at him immediately and hit her head against the shelf.

She was doing exactly what she had been determined to never do: watch him. She felt like an obsessed fanatic and a hopeless girl as she realized what she was doing. How often had she rolled her eyes and thought bad things about girls she had seen doing exactly what she was doing right now? Very often was the answer. _Very _often.

She felt like a spineless spy. She felt like many of the bubbly blondes she'd watched stare at him without his knowing. She felt dirty and disgusted with herself. She sighed and closed her eyes. Was he getting his way? Was he gradually pulling her in just like every other girl in town? She was determined for it not to be that way. Maybe he had already done it... but Jessica was determined for him not to pull her all the way in.

She would make sure she was more stubborn than ever. She would not allow for him to flirt with her and not call him out on it, she would not allow any more eye contact (that was a BIG no-no), and she would not allow any physical contact. No hugs, no patting on the back, no nothing. She was determined for the situation not to get past hugs. That was for sure. She wasn't sure if she was as strong as she thought she was.

Jessica was debating with herself whether or not she should approach him. He looked like he had calmed down a good bit, but he still had that air of unapproachability to him. On one hand, if Jessica approached him, he might get the wrong idea and would bug her more than ever. On the other hand, she had a yearning to _make sure_ he was okay. Plus, another thing was bothering her. She really wanted to know if the argument was about her. She didn't only want to know, she needed to know.

She finally came to an agreement with herself. She would approach him and ask the big question. She needed to know if the cause of his blow up was herself—on top of other things, of course. It would end up being one of the things that would hang over her head for the rest of her life. Jessica needed to know if she was the reason that Drew Hitley lost his cool.

Just as she was about to step around the side of the bookshelf to approach him, she stopped. Her foot wouldn't move. An annoying little voice in her head rang in her ears.

_Don't do it_, it told her. _You'll regret it! Why give away your position? There is no need to approach him; it's not necessary. You did what you intended to do, right? You found him. If he finds out you skipped class just to find him and make sure he was okay, he'll start having the wrong ideas and never let you forget it. Plus, what would you say to him? Something like,'hey, you okay?' No way, that's lame! You'd just embarrass yourself. See, look at yourself! You're standing behind a bookcase, you're practically spying on him—don't deny it—and you _skipped class_ to come and find him. You're hopeless! This is exactly what you promised yourself you'd _never_ do!_

Jessica rolled her eyes and sighed again. What was she to do? He was confusing her. She was arguing with herself to see whether or not she should approach him. That was classic fanatic behavior!

Before she could screw up or argue with herself any more, Jessica left the library. He seemed okay—kind of. She would let him make the first move, just like he always did.

For some reason—he didn't know why—Drew had a strange urge to look up. He closed the small book he was looking at and looked at the room around him. He just now noticed how empty the place was. There were only three other people there. They were two bookworms and the librarian. Why did he have a feeling he was missing something?

Drew walked to the end of the aisle and looked both ways. He caught a flash of someone leaving the library through the propped open doors. Who was that? It was probably no one. But _why_ did he feel like he barely missed something important? Something or someone important he had missed—he could feel it. He couldn't explain the feeling, but it was a driving sensation in the bottom of his chest. It wouldn't leave him alone until he followed his intuition.

Drew took a deep breath, as if telling the sensation to calm down, and walked slowly towards the door. The light pouring in from outside nearly blinded him. It was in such contrast to the darker walls of the library it was shocking. As he put his first foot outside, he was greeted by a cool breeze. He shivered. He was used to California's sun and warmth, not Washington's sun and cool temperatures. As his eyes adjusted to the light, Drew could make out a receding figure slowly walking away from him.

He squinted his eyes to better make out who it was. He could tell it was girl... that was about all. Whoever it was was too far away to be distinguished clearly. Knowing that it was a girl didn't help identify at all. He had hundreds of girls at this school who were fans. Well, she didn't have fake blond hair, so that crossed out about half of the school. Her hair wasn't light brown, so that crossed out a third. Her hair was black and wavy—he could tell that. The light blue wrap around her was vaguely familiar...

Then he knew. He knew who the girl was who had left the library. But, it couldn't be possible. Jessica would never have come to the library. She had class this period. Why would she skip class? The Jessica he thought he knew would never skip class—especially for _him_. She couldn't stand him or anyone who had anything to do with him, so why would she skip and come looking for him? Well, unless...

It had worked. Had his charm and constant following finally paid off? Well, it had only been two days... but then again, he knew no girl could resist his charms. Or was he over-thinking this? He tended to do things like that sometimes. Especially ever since he'd met Jessica and she had installed a reality onto him he thought impossible...

Maybe he was hallucinating and just seeing what he wanted to see. He wanted to see Jessica, no doubt, but maybe the whole ordeal of things was pushing him over the edge. Perhaps he should talk to his psychologist again. His psychologist always knew what he was talking about, didn't he? He was trained and he had gone to school for it. Maybe he would just tell him the things he had always told Drew every time he had gone to visit him.

Drew's psychologist had always just told him the same thing, and that was that he was simply stressed. He claimed Drew was trying to handle too much at once and all of the pressure was mounting on him and stressing him out psychologically. It was true that Drew had a lot going on, and what happened today could have been the last straw that made him crack.

_Yeah, that's it,_ his mind told him. _That finally made me crack and now I am hallucinating as a side-affect. Right. Yeah, now I am seeing Jessica everywhere because she's the last stressful thing that happened to me. Maybe I should stay here in the library for a couple of more class periods. I can't handle schoolwork right now. I'm just gonna stay here until the end of the day._

Still, Drew couldn't help but suspect that maybe he wasn't hallucinating. He hoped deeply that he wasn't, but of course he kept that specific fact to himself.

Seventh period came more quickly than Jessica would have liked. Drew hadn't left the library for the rest of fifth period or sixth period, and of course the teachers were noticing. Jessica noticed they were determined to find out where he went, and she doubted he could hide out in the library for another day. The sun was starting to fade and darker clouds were beginning to gather. Rain was coming. She begged the Lord that it wouldn't start raining before she walked home.

Jessica hopped up the steps quickly. Warm breezes were starting to sweep through the grounds, and she knew that meant rain very soon. If there was one thing she hated, it was rain. She hated it even more than usual when it was raining and cold. She had lived in Washington for a long time, but the cold and rain was never really something she had gotten used to.

She rushed inside where she was greeted by a rush of warm air and her usual empty table. She got _Call of the Wild_ out of her book bag and took a seat. She settled comfortably into the chair and opened her book. Just as she was beginning to relax and really get into the book, she heard something she wasn't accustomed to. She could tell someone took a seat beside her. All of the days events came flooding back to her in a rush and it answered her question. She knew who it was.

Jessica shut her book with an annoyed groan. Did he ever give up? She had to admit, he was persistent.

"Hey, Jessica," Drew smiled his charming grin. She supposed she might as well call it his 'greeting grin'. It was now the smile he used every time he talked to her. "So, this is where you come every seventh period. I was wondering where you were yesterday."

Jessica tried to ignore him. She was really in a bad mood now. He knew where she went the one period she had a break from him... fabulous.

Drew attempted to steer the conversation in another direction.

"So, did you see the little, uh, problem I had at lunch today?"

Jessica was actually eager to answer this question.

"Who didn't?" she said shortly.

"Yeah, it looked like I had a bit of an audience."

"Bet you enjoyed that."

"No, not really," Drew said, mock surprise on his features. "Believe it or not, I don't really like people getting involved in my personal life."

"Really?" she asked. "I assumed that all of those stories in tabloids about you and your five-minute girlfriends were an invention of you and your manager's."

Drew scowled. How did she know so much?

"So," Jessica continued, trying hard to sound casual, "what was that whole argument about anyway?"

Drew looked at her in confusion. Why did she care? Plus, he wasn't completely sure if he should tell Jessica that it was about her. It would be extremely awkward... not only for him but for her, too.

"Well, how much did you hear?" Drew asked cautiously.

"I heard that one of the dumb blondes was calling some girl a dork," Jessica said, "and you really didn't like it."

"That's right, I didn't," Drew said, bitter resentment on his face. He really didn't like that blond girl. He called her a few curse words to himself.

"So, who was the girl?" Jessica asked. She hoped she wasn't sounding to enthusiastic.

"Curious much?" he asked, eyebrows raising.

"What?" she asked, sounding defensive. This intrigued him. "I just wanna know."

"Why?"

"Curious."

"Right," he said sarcastically.

Should he spill the beans? She saw the end of the fight, so she must have seen the shocking part. Jessica was a smart girl, he knew, and he was sure he showed emotion. Would she derive something from that?

"Uh, well," he said, looking at the ground, "it was kind of about... you."

"Me?" Jessica asked, her calm disposition totally destroyed. Her true reason for asking the question was clear now. Her casualness was completely gone and replaced by shock and slight embarrassment.

"Yeah."

"Me?" she asked again, making sure she wasn't hearing things.

"Yeah, you."

Jessica could not help but grin for a second. Drew was watching her face carefully for any change. Drew caught the grin and couldn't help but grin back. Jessica didn't see it, of course, because she was sticking to her self-established rules of no eye contact.

Drew's grin turned into a full-fledged smile when the color started rising in Jessica's cheeks. Indeed, Jessica's cheeks were burning. So, her suspicion was correct. They had been talking about her, after all. And Drew had gotten that angry about someone insulting _her_. She couldn't forget his burning eyes and scarily quiet voice. She scratched the back of her head nervously.

"You seemed pretty mad," Jessica said, barely hearing herself. She was still trying to absorb the fact that he had gotten so angry about someone just calling her a dork. It was really no big deal, but apparently it was to him. That was the embarrassing part and, she hated to admit, extremely flattering. "Why did you defend me?" she asked, looking at his face. She was careful not to look into the blue eyes. Instead, she focused mainly on the bridge of his nose.

Drew opened his mouth to reply but shut it again. That was a question he had been asking himself ever since the argument had taken place. Why _did_ he defend her? He called people losers all of the time, so obviously he didn't have a moral standing against it or anything. All he knew was that for some strange reason, he had experienced a foreign feeling in the pit of his stomach that made him angry. His brain had instantly shifted into attack mode.

Drew just shrugged, trying to hide how completely baffled he was. Something like this wouldn't normally bother him, or any person for that matter. It wasn't that big of a deal—but that was just it. Apparently, he realized, for some weird reason, it had been to him.

Jessica tried to steer the conversation in a different direction. It obviously was a mystery to him, too. But she still had a fear in the back of her mind that was gnawing at her slowly. Why in the world was she so concerned about this? Why was she so hungry for a straight answer? Why wasn't this bothering him as much as it was her?

"So, uh," Jessica began, "you come to the library, huh?"

Drew snorted.

"No, no," he laughed. "Naw, I am not much of a bookworm. This was just the last place I knew anyone would expect me to be. Who would ever think Drew Hitley would go into a _library_? I mean, honestly."

Jessica rolled her eyes. She couldn't resist. Just when she thought she had found out one decent thing about him, it turned out not to be true.

"Come on, Jessica," Drew said obviously, "use that pretty little head of yours. Me? In a library?"

Now it was Jessica's turn to laugh.

"You're taking this awfully defensively," she commented, her eyebrows raising. "I was just asking. No need to get worked up about it."

"I don't go to libraries," Drew mumbled, more to himself than to her.

"I'm not saying you do," Jessica said quickly. "I'm just saying that if you were, by chance, in a library to maybe look at books and not hide from everyone, that wouldn't be a bad thing."

"I don't go to libraries," Drew repeated, this time talking to her. He sounded more like himself and less like a four year-old this time.

"Then why were you looking at books earlier?" Jessica demanded. "Why were you reading the summaries?"

"I was bored and it's a library," he stated. "There is nothing here to—"

He eyed her incredulously.

Jessica's gaze quickly left his face and went down to the table.

"What?" she asked.

"That was you," he said, barely daring to believe it. So that _had _been Jessica a few hours ago. He'd been wrong, completely wrong. She _had_ gone looking for him. She _had_ been in the library nearby. And, to top it all off, she had been watching him. How else would she have known? Maybe he wasn't hallucinating...

"You were here, in the library, fifth period," he said, as if saying it aloud made it true. "I knew that was you!"

A look of sheer shock crossed her face. She'd given herself away! She was so happy with herself for being sneaky and checking in on him secretly. He'd never have to know. She could have gone through this squeaky clean and with nothing for him to hold over her, and she had just ruined it by letting something slip out. All she could say was,

"How did you see me?"

She knew she couldn't deny it. Her expression had given it away.

Again, Drew shrugged, but this time the confusion was obvious.

"I don't know," he answered. "I just kind of looked up. I saw you going out the doors."

Jessica suddenly shut her eyes tightly as if in pain. God, she had been so close!

"Did you hear me or something?" she asked in a restrained voice, eyes still shut tight. She had to know what she did wrong so she could punish herself for it later.

"No," Drew answered.

Jessica looked at him expectantly, waiting for more. It never came.

"How did you know?" she couldn't help but ask and her voice crack. Her voice only cracked under three circumstances: when she was about to cry, when she was under a lot of stress, or when she really needed to know something and she wasn't getting any straight answers. Jessica wasn't about to cry, and she wasn't under a lot of stress. Well, she was under a lot of stress, but it was mostly because he seemed to be more clueless than she was.

"I told you, I looked up and saw you going out the doors."

"So you just randomly looked up? For no reason? Just looked up?"

"Yeah," he lied. He hadn't just 'randomly' looked up. He'd done it because, for some reason unknown to him, he'd an urge to do so. He couldn't explain it to Jessica because he could hardly explain to himself. "So, you skipped class to come see where I went?"

Jessica slumped in her chair. He was beginning to ask the questions she had been dreading. She closed her eyes tightly again and began to cuss herself out inside her head. She was such an idiot!

Drew looked bemused. She was starting to crack, he just knew it. He'd only known her for about 48 hours, but he could tell she was stressing.

"So?" she snapped.

"And," he continued, as if she'd never spoken, "you came in the library and watched me."

"I did not watch you," she said dangerously. "I just happened to glance around and see you reading."

"And kept on seeing me read... and you kept on seeing me read..."

"Shut up!"

"Oh, no, don't worry about it. It's okay. We both knew you couldn't keep it up for long."

Jessica was drawing herself up to full height (which was a few inches shorter than Drew's). Now she was angry. He was rubbing her nose in it, just like she'd thought he would. She was about to ask what 'it' was, but she stopped herself. That was what he was waiting for. That was what he would go off on a monologue about and laugh about. She wouldn't allow him any more satisfaction than she had already clumsily given him.

"Drew," Jessica said as she clenched her fists. She looked him straight in the eyes. She was too angry now to remember what she should and shouldn't do. She was so mad that the blue deep blue eyes had no effect on her—temporarily, anyway. "Sorry to break it to you, but I will never ever _ever_ be your number one fan. I don't know how many times I have to tell you that and how many times I have to make it totally obvious."

"You know, the more you tell me that the harder I'm gonna try."

"Stop it!"

"Couldn't if I tried," he said honestly. "Just let it happen, Jessie. Don't try and stop destiny."

That set Jessica off for good. He'd called her the one thing no one was supposed to call her. He didn't know it, of course, but that didn't matter. Nothing mattered to her right now. She was blinded by rage. He'd just used a word that was dirty to her, plus, he was getting on her last nerve.

"Don't you _ever_," Jessica breathed in an extremely dangerous whisper, "don't you even _dare_ to call me that."

Drew was completely stumped. What did he say?


	6. Chapter 6

**_Okay, you guys! This is gonna be my last update for a couple of days. I know a lot of you are following along, and it means a lot to me! However, i don't even have 20 reviews yet and that is worrying me a little. I do appreciate all of the readers and the people who do review, but nevertheless, i am still a little worried about the # of reviews. I will update as soon as i get at least 35, promise! If you read and you like, plz review so u can get the next chapter even quicker! Don't worry, i will check it every day! Love u guys so much!_**

**_~ChAnNyObSeSsEd_**

"Let me tell you something," she said, her voice much like Drew's earlier that day. "Sure, I might not be famous. I might not be half as pretty as some of the freaking girl celebrities you've dated, but that doesn't mean I am just like everyone else you know. You seem to think if someone is not one of the most famous names out there, they don't have emotions; they don't have a brain, right? Wrong. I am so sick of your lies, and how you can just come up with an excuse off of the top of your head and get off, and _you_. I am sick of _you_. Y_ou _are the reason that I am having the worst day of my life. _You_ are the reason I am so stressed that I want to tear every single freaking hair out of my freaking head!"

With that, Jessica stood up out of her chair and started to stomp towards the door. She rounded and walked back to the table, hair flying behind her. Her blue eyes drilled into his with a force that should have been inhuman.

"Oh, and by the way, _never_ call me Jessie."

Jessica stalked out of the library and exited the doors with perfect timing. The final bell rang just two seconds after she'd left. Drew was sitting, frozen in his seat. No one had ever talked to him like that before. Once again, the word that ran through his head was _mental_, but other words ran through his head, too. They were (reluctantly), _she's right, but it doesn't matter—that much._

By the time Jessica had reached the exit to the school grounds, the clouds were gathering more than ever. They seemed to grow darker by the second. Jessica prayed to the good Lord that it wouldn't start raining, but apparently her prayer had been dropped because of bad weather. Thunder sounded above her noisily. She groaned as she felt a wet drop of water splash onto her nose. She was having a lot of bad luck today.

The light sprinkles quickly turned into down-pouring rain in a matter of minutes. All of Carson High's students were running hastily to their cars or to an awaiting bus. Some had their jackets thrown messily over their heads, but most of the girls had a stylish umbrella to shield their fragile hair from the rain. Jessica, on the other hand, had nothing, but she did have a miserable walk home ahead of her.

The rain poured in continuous waves of fury as Jessica looked at the discouraging path ahead of her. Her dark hair was soaked and was sticking to her face and clothes. Her clothes were already soaked to the bone and dripping. The hard rain was hitting her eyes and sticking to her eyelashes, obscuring her vision. Very soon, shivers started running up her spine and to her teeth. Her teeth chattered profusely as she struggled to see where she was going. She started the discouraging walk home.

Her dark converse were soaked and probably ruined. She knew her mother would kill her, most likely. Oh, well. She would probably be sick with a cold by the time she got home and her mother would forget all about the shoes and focus on making her soup. But then again, she probably would be with Officer Roulin and getting ready to leave for her date (which Jessica deeply disapproved of).

She didn't know exactly what would happen. She decided to just improvise. Her thoughts were disrupted by a loud car horn behind her. Great, she was in the middle of the road and she didn't even realize it. Jessica moved over unseeingly, but soon realized she was as much off of the road as she could be without falling into the water-filled ditch.

Jessica turned around to her right side and squinted into the blur of the on-pouring rain. She wiped her eyes to try see who was honking at her. The cold wet seemed to feel even colder and wetter once she caught a glimpse of the comfortable-looking car. The white convertible was spotless and seemed to shine in the rain. The inside was probably unbelievably comfortable and warm. She longed to be inside of the car right now. In fact, she longed to be inside of anything right now as long as it was _inside_ and not _outside_. As long as there was _something_ solid in between her and cold rain and wind, she would gladly subside.

The convertible pulled up until it was right beside her. The headlights shone brightly in the midst of the damp darkness. The white of the car also seemed to have an unusual glow to it. The dark passenger window rolled down soundlessly. She found a handsome face looking back at her. It was the last face she wanted to see. Did he ever give up? How many times did she have to try and get the message across? She wanted him to _go away_, not _follow_.

"Hey, Jessica," Drew smiled. He seemed to be struggling not to laugh. She didn't blame him, exactly. She was sure she looked pretty ridiculous with her hair clinging to her and every inch of her body soaked. Her mascara might have even been running, she wouldn't know. It wasn't supposed to run, anyway. It was supposedly waterproof.

"What do you want?" she asked, crossing her arms. She was doing it mostly to warm herself up, but she tried to make it come off as an aggravated gesture.

"You're soaked," he said. Well, _duh_.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Get in," he said, motioning with his hand to come closer.

_That's funny_, Jessica thought. "No way."

"You're gonna get sick," said Drew, more persistence in his voice.

"So? It wouldn't be the first time."

Drew's eyebrows knitted in concern and slight frustration.

"Jessica," said Drew, "come on, have some common sense. I have the heater running, the top's up, and it's dry in here. Don't be an idiot, just get in."

Jessica sighed. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. It was just what she'd asked for: warmth, dryness, and it was comfortable. Maybe next time she should be more specific and make sure to clearly ask that Drew not be involved whatsoever.

"I'll be okay," she tried to say convincingly. "I don't need your help."

"It's about forty degrees and it's raining with wind," Drew continued to argue. "Seriously, you'll get a cold or the flu or something."

"I'm not cold," Jessica lied. As much as she tried to prevent her teeth from chattering, it was a hopeless fight. Her teeth chattered plainly and noisily.

"You're lying."

No, _duh_.

"Bye, Drew."

Jessica turned and began to walk blindly away from the car. She heard the engine rev comfortably and smoothly as the car easily kept by her side. Drew kept his eyes on the road but on her all at once.

"I'm not giving up that easily," Drew persisted. "Jessica, I am serious."

"So am I."

"This isn't just another attempt at earning you," he half-lied. "No, honestly, I don't want you to get sick. You're gonna freeze. Get in, please."

"That's superficially sweet of you, but leave me alone, please."

"I'll drag you into this car if I have to, Jessica."

"Then I'll report to the authorities that you were assaulting me."

"Jessica, _get in_."

She stopped in her tracks. He was telling her what to do. And not only was he telling her what to do, he was using that low and sharp voice again. She didn't like it, it kind of scared her, but nevertheless, she stood her ground.

"Sorry, no."

She kept walking and crossed her arms even tighter as the wind blew her wet hair back. It bit at her face, causing her nose to run and get an uncomfortable tickling sensation in her throat. She could feel the early signs of a bad cold coming on, but she didn't care. Her pride was important, too. She held her head as high as she could, which wasn't much. In fact, it looked more like she was holding her head down.

Jessica was pleased when she didn't hear the engine accelerate and see a convertible pulling up beside her.

_Maybe he finally gave up_, she thought in a satisfied nod. _Good_.

She continued to walk through the puddles of water and mud miserably. It had been only a minute since Drew had finally let her be, but a thought crossed her mind. If he had given up, then why hadn't the car passed by her yet? Just as this thought entered her head, she heard splashing behind her and felt a warm hand close around her upper arm.

The rain still obscured her vision, but there was no need to ponder at who it was. She tried to wrench her arm out of Drew's strong but gentle grip, but it didn't work. She struggled over and over again. Eventually, she stopped trying to get free. She was fighting a lost battle. Jessica looked back curiously. Had Drew actually gotten out in the rain? When he'd get _wet_?

There Drew stood, with no umbrella or cover of any kind, holding her arm with an expression of utter decisiveness. His hair was soaked, too, flattening on his head slightly. His usually clean-cut and perfect clothes were soaked, but otherwise, he didn't look much different. His eyes almost seemed to glow with frustration.

"I told you I'd get out and drag you into the car if I had to," he said severely.

"And I told you I'd tell the authorities you were assaulting me," Jessica said. Her reasoning sounded extremely weak and stupid compared to him.

"Jessica," he shook his head and rolled his eyes. The water dripping off of his hair was flinging everywhere. "You're being extremely stupid. Go get in the car or I will pick you up and do it myself."

She really didn't like that idea, but he had a firm grip on her and she couldn't say no. Not this time.

"Fine," she sighed. She began to walk slowly towards Drew's car. He continued to hold her arm firmly and have his other hand held out cautiously. She didn't like it. She really didn't like it. This was violating her self-established rule of no physical contact. "You can let go of me now. I'm finally going to get in the car."

"Yeah, but I don't want you running away the second I let go," Drew explained, his voice still slightly eerie to Jessica. He sounded so frustrated and decided. She didn't like it. In response, his grip almost tightened and he pulled her closer. She looked up at his face. She noticed his expression seemed to soften. He was avoiding eye contact with her, which was very unlike him. He continued to look ahead towards the car.

"We can go stop by somewhere and I'll get you something warm if you want," he said, all sharpness and severity out of his voice. It almost sounded kind. "I can tell you're feeling sick already."

"A little," Jessica muttered. She was through lying—for now anyway. She wanted warmth.

"Told you," he said, his old smile returning to his face. "You want some hot chocolate?"

Drew led her to the passenger side of the car. He opened the door for her and she climbed in. She was immediately hit by a burst of warm air. It greeted her like an old begotten friend. The tan leather seats were heated and toasty. She was still shivering, but she didn't feel as miserable as she had only a doorway away.

She watched Drew round the front of the car and in front of the headlights. He looked like his steps were lighter, almost as if he was happy. She felt embarrassed for some reason. Color came to her pale cheeks, but luckily she could pass it off as just getting warmer.

Drew climbed in the drivers seat and shut the door quickly. He sighed and leaned back his head with his eyes closed. A small smile spread across his face as he let the heat defrost him. If he was freezing after staying out there for just a couple of moments, no telling how cold Jessica had been. He rolled his head over towards her. The regular charming smile was spread across his face again. His dark blond hair just barely reached the top of his eyebrows.

"Better?" he asked, eyebrows raising.

"Yeah," she mumbled, hoping he didn't notice that her cheeks were abnormally red, even in the current situation. She had no idea why she was blushing, but nevertheless, she was.

"Good," he said, a note of triumph in his voice. He reached into the back seat and handed her a towel.

"Why do you have towel in your backseat?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.

"I have everything," he grinned. "Do you want it or not?"

Jessica quickly snatched the towel out of his hand with a grunt of thanks. She hastily wrung her dark hair and wiped her face and arms. It was no use trying to dry her clothes with a towel. Only a dryer could fix them.

Drew ran a towel through his hair and over his face quickly. Jessica wiped her runny nose on the back of her arm. Drew put his right hand on the steering wheel.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Yup," she said quietly. She crossed her arms.

Drew didn't step on the gas pedal. He eyed her.

"You still cold?" he asked, looking at her with an expression Jessica couldn't read.

She didn't say anything, she just shook her head.

He let it go. He wasn't going to be able to crack her, he could tell.

"I'll stop by the cafe' and get you a hot chocolate if you want one," he said, his head still turned towards the road. He still hadn't stepped on the gas pedal yet.

Jessica eyed him suspiciously. Again, he wasn't looking back at her with the smile he always wore. He wasn't wanting to look at her for some reason, which annoyed her. What was wrong with her? Did she look that bad? Jessica looked at herself in the mirror on the outside of her door. She looked a little tired, yes, but she didn't look that bad. Why was he refusing to look at her? Was something wrong?

"Um," Jessica answered cautiously, "I don't think I should. I really need to get home. My mom is probably worried about me."

"It'll only take a minute," Drew said in a hopeful tone, but still trying to sound cool. Jessica was uncomfortable with how important buying her hot chocolate seemed to mean to him.

She sighed.

"Sure, why not."

For the first time, he looked at her with a smile that seemed alien to her. It wasn't the regular charming smile he usually gave her as if he were trying to impress her. It was a smile she'd never seen on his face before. She'd never seen it on his face in real life, in a magazine, or in a movie. It seemed happy, genuinely and completely happy. Also, she found herself thinking it was unbelievably attractive. But she soon regretted ever thinking this, because she was just now realizing that she was smiling back.

"I'm buying," he whispered with a wink. Jessica quickly turned away and looked out of the window before he noticed that her cheeks were as red as beats. She stared miserably out into the rain. What she would do to be home right now...

Drew finally stepped on the gas pedal and drove towards the local cafe'. That was one thing he liked about this town: the food wasn't bad. Jessica made sure she looked out of the window and no where else. Drew's first priority, however, was the road. He usually didn't pay attention to stop signs or anything like that, but with Jessica in the car, he was extremely careful.

Drew had gotten Jessica a hot chocolate and driven away from the drive-through hastily after the lady running the window recognized him. Jessica insisted over and over again that she'd pay for her own drink, but gave up when he got the hopeful look on his face again. She sipped at it gingerly as they drove away. It was hot, but not too hot. One of the things the cafe' was famous for was their beverages.

"How is it?" he asked casually.

"It's warm," she answered.

"No, duh," he laughed. That was something else he did that was unlike him. His laughed wasn't artificial like usual. She couldn't help but smile a little. Lucky for her, he didn't notice. He kept his eyes on the road. "So, I guess you probably want to go home now."

"I need to," she answered.

"Okay, what's the directions? I have no idea where I am going," he asked her.

She scowled to herself. She didn't know how to get around telling him where she lived. She sighed.

"First, go all the way down this section of the highway," she told him.

He obeyed.

"Now take a right."

He did so.

"It's right here," she said, pointing to the _Sweet Maples_ sign. "You can let me out right here."

"No way," Drew shook his head, "it's still raining like hell. You're not getting out in this."

"I'll be okay," she said stubbornly.

"No," he said decidedly, "then all I did half an hour ago would have been for nothing."

She rolled her eyes. Fine, let him learn a lesson. When an unfamiliar car rolled into the neighborhood, Officer Roulin was on top of it.

Drew drove past the neighborhood sign and, predictably, was stopped by a siren. Drew slammed on the break in confusion.

"Why's the police after me?" he asked himself.

"That's the neighborhood watchman," Jessica told him.

"Oh," Drew shrugged, "never mind. This joker's no big deal. I'll take care of this." He nodded with a smile and rolled down his window. Officer Roulin showed up and leaned down so he was eye-level with Drew. Drew was intimidated by his size.

"Hello, sir," Officer Roulin said in a business-like tone, "I'm sorry but I am afraid I need to know why you're here."

"What do you mean?" Drew asked.

"I mean, sir, what're you doing here? You don't live here and I don't recognize you or your car."

Roulin looked to the passenger seat. He began to smile at Jessica but she cut him off. She pointed at Drew's back and winked. Officer Roulin did a small nod and sighed.

"Mr. Hitley, I am afraid I will have to ask you to step out of the vehicle."

"What gives you a reason to—"

"Don't question me, son. Get out."

A look of shock crossed Drew's face that nearly made Jessica burst into laughter. She was so mean.

Drew climbed out of the car and put his hands in the air.

"Why are you wet?"

"Hello, it's raining," Drew said obviously, getting soaked again as he climbed out of the car.

"Don't use that tone of voice with me, boy!" Roulin barked in his voice he used in the marine training camp. Drew's eyes widened. "Now, tell me, why are you here?"

"I am dropping her off at her house!"

"Who's 'her'?"

"Jessica! The girl in the car!"

Roulin snorted and looked into the car. Jessica nodded, giving him the sign that he could stop. She'd had her laugh for the day. Drew had had enough, and so had she.

"Jessica, anything else you want me to do with him?" Officer Roulin laughed merrily.

"No, I think that's good," she laughed along.

Drew's face went from shocked to completely stumped.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Drew asked, his hands dropping by his side.

"Yeah," Roulin answered, straightening up. "She's my little buddy. Alright, son," he said, patting Drew on the back, nearly knocking him over, "you can get back in the car."

Drew climbed in with an embarrassed scowl on his face.

"Come on, it's a joke," Jessica said, starting to calm down.

"It wasn't very funny," Drew said angrily.

Jessica frowned. She thought it wasn't that big of deal... the only thing she'd be mad about was if she had to get in the rain again.

The only solution she could think of, regrettably, was if she flirted a little.

"Come on," Jessica poked his arm, "I was kidding around. Sorry you had to get wet again." She handed him a towel. He took it with disdain.

"You were kidding? Oh, really?" he asked, drying off his face. "What about Sargent out there?"

"Him, too," she answered. "Lighten up."

"You're the last person who needs to tell anyone to lighten up."

"Okay, fine," she shrugged, rolling her eyes. Then she remembered she was supposed to be flirting. She eyed her towel with an idea in mind. She didn't want to do it, but she didn't like it when he pouted. It was aggravating.

Jessica picked up her towel and squeezed it. It was damp, but no water came out. It would suffice. She folded it out so it would be as big as possible. Jessica put the towel on his head and started to dry of his dirty blond hair. For the third time, a look of complete shock crossed his face. It was followed by the happy smile. That didn't help things... it made it a little too convincing. She was smiling again.

She quickly took the towel off of his head and looked away from his face.

"What was _that_ for?" he asked, the happy smile stuck on his face.

Jessica looked out the window.

"Uh, you're hair was wet and it was bugging me," she mumbled.

"Right," he said, looking at her observantly. Why did she always not want to look at him when he wanted to look at her?

Officer Roulin leaned down and tapped on the window. They both jumped. Drew rolled down his window.

"Hey, Jessica," Roulin said, "could you tell your mom that I am postponing the date for another day or two? I just don't think she'd like this weather."

Jessica scowled.

"Sure."

"Thanks," he smiled. "See you later, kiddo."

"Bye."

Roulin went back to his car hurriedly.

Drew looked at Jessica curiously.

"Him and your mom are dating?" he asked, pointing over his shoulder.

Jessica frowned sadly.

"Yeah," she nodded.

Drew's brows knitted.

"I thought you liked him."

"I do."

"Then what's the problem?"

"None of your business," Jessica snapped. She crossed her arms and faced the window again.

"Okay, God, sorry," he said, taken aback. "Touchy."

Jessica replied with a huff. Drew dropped it. That subject was a little too personal for him right now. That didn't mean he wouldn't ask her about it later.

Jessica directed him to her house. Drew stopped himself before he commented on it's size. It was much smaller than he was used to, but so was everything in his town.

Jessica, still sour from the subject of her mother's dating life, began to open the car door.

"Jessica, wait," Drew said quickly. He got out of the car and went around to her side.

_What is he doing?_ Jessica wondered. _He can't be opening the door for me. I already opened it._

Her question was soon answered when he arrived near her door. He pulled it open for her, the rain falling harder than ever now, and took off his expensive coat. As she stepped out, he held it over her head. Since the jacket wasn't exactly water-resistant, the water still dripped through it onto her head, but she didn't tell Drew that.

Even though she thought he was just doing this to get her to be a fan, she couldn't help but think it was kind of sweet. He led her to her front door, covering her head all the way and getting soaked himself. When they scurried under the awning of the wood, he lifted the coat away from her head and put it back on. He shivered. She smiled.

"Oh, wait one more second," he told her. He hurried back to his car, which was waiting in the driveway. He came back to the awning, gasping for breath and dripping. He handed her the hot chocolate she'd left in the cup holder. She smiled in embarrassment.

"Uh, thanks," she laughed. "Um, you know, you didn't have to do that."

"What?"

"You know, put you're jacket over my head. I was just gonna get wet anyway."

He shrugged.

"You gotta keep your health. Eat some soup when you get inside."

She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, sir," she said sarcastically. She wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

"I'd probably better get back to the hotel," Drew said. As he straightened out the front of his jacket, water poured from the material and splashed onto the ground. "You know, the hotel's expensive," he said, a smug smile crossing his features, "and Rachael probably wants me to get there. She'll freak out if I don't show up."

"Who's Rachael?" Jessica asked, not recognizing her own voice.

"She's my manager."

"Right. Yeah, I knew that."

"Yeah, well, I'd better go," said Drew, wiping off his face with his hand. She noticed he was frowning now. "I don't want her to have a cow. I'll see you later."

"Maybe," Jessica smirked. He smiled at her slightly as he ran back to his car with haste. The rain soaked his already dripping figure as he opened his door and jumped in. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he dried himself off and started to drive away. Her gaze followed the taillights as they faded into the fog of rain. She watched them until they disappeared.


	7. Chapter 7

_**HEEEEEEYYYYY GGGGGUUUYYYYSSSS!!!!! OMG, that was quicker than i expected! I got 39 reviews in two days after i posted the note asking for at least 35! Thanx for everyone that commented! Please, continue to review. i absolutely love them and it helps give me inspiration! You guys are so amazing! I really hate holding out on y'all, but before i post chapter 8 i was wondering if maybe i could aim for 45 reviews? It helps give me ideas and it lets me know how many of u r following along. thnx again, and i would like to thank **__**Ilychanny**__** and **__**Potatoescanfly**__** for reviewing on every chapter! That helped you guys get the nxt chapter quicker! I also want to thank **__**WowzersImBack**__**,  
**__**, **__**dynamiteword**__**, **__**sterlinglover1**__**, **__**Jasmine James**__**, **__**BrandNewEyes929**__**, **__**SingerforChanny**__**, **__**-FriendOfTheFallen-x**__**, **__**hannahpie45**__**, **__**DannySamLover20**__**, **__**Imaniillusion**__**, **__**cnp97**__**, **__**loverofmuffins23**__**, and **__**TrueStoryTeller**_ **_for being my reviewers!  
_**

Jessica squeezed out her dripping locks as she opened the door. Her mother was looking at herself in a mirror nearby the entrance. She jumped as Jessica entered.

"Oh, hey, honey," he smiled nervously.

"What were you doing?" Jessica asked, looking from the mirror to her mother to the mirror again.

"Oh, nothing, just a little nervous about tonight."

Ms. Kramer looked at her thin hair with disgust.

"What I would do to have your thick hair, Jess," she shook her head in jealousy. "Well, I'd better go up and get ready."

"Oh, mom, Officer Roulin asked if he could postpone the date," Jessica said hurriedly.

Ms. Kramer turned with a look of disappointment on her face.

"Why?"

"He said he really wanted to go out with you," Jessica told her, "but the weather was nasty and he didn't think you'd enjoy the date as much."

"Oh," she understood, "well, that was considerate of him. He's right. I've lived here for so long and I am still not used to the rain."

"Don't worry, Mom, me neither."

Ms. Kramer smiled with affection at her daughter. Then the smile faded from her face as she looked at her daughter's sweater. The smile also disappeared from Jessica's face in question.

"Speaking of the weather," her mother said, stepping closer to her daughter, "it's raining cats and dogs outside. Your hair is wet but your clothes are almost dry. I figured you'd be soaked by the time you got back."

Jessica shifted her feet nervously as her mother looked her over.

"Oh, God! Your shoes are ruined! Honey, you know those weren't cheap! Well, of course you'd know, you do the check book," her mom whined. "Wait a second, kiddo, all of that mud on your shoes are almost dry. Why is that?"

"Mom, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"And that hot chocolate from the cafe'! Where'd that come from?"

"Mom, you just said it. It came from the cafe', duh."

Her mother groaned and gave her a severe look.

"Don't be a smart-butt with me, young lady. Why are your clothes and the mud on your shoes almost dry, and why do you have hot chocolate from the cafe'?"

"Mom," Jessica said, trying to change the subject, "it's no big deal. You know what? My throat is kind of bothering me. I think I'm gonna get some soup."

Jessica walked into the kitchen quickly and pretended to be looking around for a can of chicken soup. Her mother wasn't giving up that easily. She followed her into the kitchen with her arms crossed.

"Oh, no ma'am, I don't think so," Ms. Kramer shook her head. "You're obviously lying to me. What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Yes, there is!" she continued to push. "It sounds like you rode in a car. It's okay to admit that you hitched a ride with someone. I won't ground you for the rest of your natural life."

Jessica continued to look hesitant.

"So, honey, who did you ride with?"

That was the question she had been dreading. She didn't know how her mother would react. Her mother was bipolar—a lot. She would start saying things like, 'oh, you have a boyfriend? _Drew Hitley_?' or either 'What were you thinking? Riding in a car with someone you barely know? And a _boy_? Do you know all of the things that could have happened? Don't you watch those murder shows?'

"The car was nice," Jessica babbled. "It was a convertible. And it was white. The tan leather seats were nice...and heated."

"I don't care about the car, I care about who was driving you."

"It was no big deal. I didn't want to ride with him, really. He just kind of... convinced me."

"Oh, so it's a him? Well, we're one step closer. I just need a _name_," Ms. Kramer said impatiently. Her mother walked closer to Jessica and patted her gently on the back. "It's not a crime to have a crush, honey. In fact, I was starting to kind of worry. You're a junior and, as far as I know, you haven't liked a guy in years."

"I don't like him!" Jessica exploded. "He's self-centered, and stuck up, and the only reason I rode with him was because he practically dragged me to the car!"

"He _what_?" her mother asked, shock and anger tracing her every outline. "He _forced _you to get in the car? Honey, I told you what to do if a guy tries to take you by force!"

"No, Mom," Jessica said quickly, "no, it's not like that. I mean, he didn't want me to get sick, and even though I was soaked, I refused to ride with him. He told me he'd make me get in the car if he had to so I'd be warm."

"Oh," said Ms. Kramer, "well, he doesn't sound very self-centered to me."

"No, it's just because—it's a long story. Never mind."

"I've got time. My date was postponed, remember?" her mother reminded her. She put her hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Mom, are you okay with Roulin postponing your date?" Jessica asked.

"That's _Officer_ Roulin to you, Jess, and no I'm okay with it. I'd rather have a good date later than a bad one now," her mom explained with a smile. "Now, stop trying to change the subject. We're talking about _your_ love life."

"It's not a love life! It's an annoying life!"

"Sure, honey, sure. Whatever you say. Now tell Mom what's going on. I'm dying to know who this mystery guy is."

Jessica smiled tiredly. She didn't want to talk about it, but her mother was making an effort, which was something she had failed to do for years. Jessica could remember when she had gotten her first crush and her mother had listened politely and followed every word. When it came to boys, she remembered that her mother was just like an older sister. A _much_ older sister.

Ms. Kramer sat down at the small kitchen table and put her chin in her hands. She smiled with wide eyes. Jessica couldn't help but laugh.

"So, who's the guy who is concerned about your health?"

"Drew Hitley," Jessica rolled her eyes. She was shocked when her mother nearly fell out of her chair. Ms. Kramer's chin fell through her hands and almost hit the table. She balanced herself ungracefully.

"_Drew Hitley_?" she asked, shocked. Her expression slowly turned from shock to happiness. A smile overtook her face. "Oh my god, you're serious? I heard he was going to a school in Washington, but I didn't know it was here! At your school!"

Her mother squealed. Jessica was reminded of every girl in the school the day the magazine arrived in the library.

"Wow, honey, all I can say is _lucky_! I'm telling you, if I were twenty years younger, mm!"

Jessica gagged.

"Uh, ew! Mom, gross!"

She shrugged embarrassingly.

"Sorry, Jessica. I've just seen all of his movies because the ladies at work told me their daughters were going crazy over it. They told me themselves that he was great, so I watched them. And let me tell you, wow. That guy is the complete package."

Jessica gagged again and rolled her eyes.

"Ew, again. No, he's not the complete package. He's snobby and superficial and thinks he's God's gift to women."

"Well—" Jessica's mother stopped herself before she argued. "Sorry, I suppose you're right. Snobbishness is a real turnoff," she tried to say convincingly.

"I know!" Jessica agreed, buying it. She had been so determined to find someone who shared her view, she totally bought her mother's lie. "And since I was the only girl in the entire school who didn't stalk him, he thought something was wrong with me and now he won't leave me alone."

Her mother looked confused.

"And the bad part is?"

"That's bad, Mom! I can't stand the guy and he won't leave me the hell alone! I have my first six periods with him, and he sits beside me in every class. I always tried to avoid him but nothing works. I created a monster. He won't rest until I'm his number one fan."

"Oh, I'm sorry," her mother said sarcastically. "Drew Hitley is following you around like a puppy dog. Oh, you poor thing."

"I know, right? Finally, someone agrees with me!" Jessica said, throwing her hands in the air.

Her mother tapped her chin in wonder.

"Now, Jess, you know I've had experience in the romance department—"

"It's not romance!"

"Right, sorry. I meant, you know I have experience with guys, and I am wondering something. Tell me, when he follows you around, what does he do?" she asked curiously. She leaned forward eagerly.

Jessica shrugged. She didn't know what her mother was getting at.

"I don't know," she said, a bored tone in her voice. "Sometimes he'll follow me to classes. He always makes sure he sits beside me. He's always trying to catch my eye and impress me or something, I don't know."

"Okay," her mother nodded, "alright then. Tell me what happened this afternoon in the rain."

"Well, I was at the gate of the school, and it started raining and getting cold. The rain got even harder and I was drenched. He drove up beside me and told me I was soaked. I was thinking, _duh_. And he told me to get in. I said no. He told me I would get sick and get the cold or flu or something and told me to get in again. I told him to go away. I mean, it was no big deal. I get sick all of the time, right?"

Her mother shook her head and gave her a look that told her to continue.

"Anyways, Drew got this weird look on his face and he yelled at me to get in."

"He yelled at you?"

"Well, no, but he might has well have been. His voice was all quiet and low and it was freaky. Anyway, I told him bye and started walking again. He had told me that if I didn't get in the car, he'd get out and put me in it himself, and I told him I'd call the police and report assault. He just ignored me."

"Good, because that was a pretty lame excuse, Jess."

"Whatever! I was serious. So when I didn't hear the car coming back up beside me again, I was happy because I thought he'd finally gotten the message. But then I noticed the car hadn't passed me. Before I knew it, he'd gotten out and he'd gripped my arm and I couldn't get out of it."

Her mother smiled but quickly stopped once Jessica began to give her an icy glare.

"He told me to either come quietly or he'd carry me there, so obviously I gave up. Once we got in the car he asked me if I wanted hot chocolate or something. I told him I needed to get home, but he got another weird look on his face, so I let him do it. He insisted on paying. And then when we got home, I—"

"No, I saw that much."

Jessica's eyes widened. Color rose in her cheeks.

"Mom, you watched?" she asked, anger and embarrassment rising inside of her like a thermometer. She squeezed the edges of her chair with her fists. How embarrassing!

"Well," she said uncomfortably, looking like a child caught stealing a cookie, "it's not like I spy on you! I happened to be by the window looking into the mirror, and I saw this nice car drive up that I didn't recognize. So, like any normal person, I looked out the blinds. I saw a guy get out and open the passenger door for someone. At first, I thought maybe it was a couple who'd gotten the wrong house," she explained.

Jessica scowled. She immensely disliked that comparison.

"But then I noticed that the girl looked familiar. I could barely believe it was you! I mean, not only did you ride with someone, but it was with a _boy_! I was in total shock. I couldn't tell who the boy was because of the fog on the windows, but I could tell that he was really cute. And stop rolling your eyes, Jess, you know it's true."

"Whatever, Mom."

"But the surprise a second ago was real! I didn't know it was Drew Hitley, I swear!"

Jessica nodded in forgiveness.

"And by the way," her mother added, smiling and raising her eyebrows, "I saw him take his jacket off and hold it over your head."

Jessica shifted in her seat.

"So what?" she asked. "I told you, for some reason he's concerned for my health. I think he's just acting. He's acting courteous to try and earn my allegiance."

"Well, I'm not sure he'd go as far to ruin an expensive jacket just to earn an extra fan when he already has millions."

"Yeah, that's what you'd think, isn't it? But he's so convinced he's perfect and that you have to be mentally disabled not to love him that I think he would."

"Well, that might have been what it was at first," her mother began cautiously.

"At first?" Jessica asked. "What do you mean, at first? I've only known him a couple of days."

"These things can act quickly, Jess," she explained with a smile.

"_These things_? What do you mean by _these things_?"

"I'd tell you but you'd get angry with me."

"You got that right."

Jessica got out of her chair and went upstairs.

"Mom, thanks for the advice, if you could call it advice, but I'm going to get in the shower," she yelled downstairs.

"Alright, Jessica, I'll have some soup ready when you get down!"

"Thanks, Mom."

The warm water felt heavenly against her freezing-cold skin. It ran through her hair, around her body, and onto the shower floor. Oh, how desperately she wanted to stay in the shower forever, but she knew she couldn't. Although she tried hard not to, she couldn't help but think about the things her mother had recently told her. What was up with the sudden courteousness?

Sure, he wanted to get every last person in the school to drool all over him, but why would a car ride and a sudden chivalrous act make any difference? He knew to earn her he'd probably have to save every puppy in the world, feed the homeless, and create world peace before that ever happened. Basically, he had to not be himself.

Jessica went downstairs after her shower, ate soup, and went to bed early. Usually, she would stay up late and watch the Washington Redskins kick butt, but she wasn't in very much of a football mood. If the girls at school knew that she watched football in her free time, she'd probably be more of an outcast than she already was—if that was possible.

The boys would think it was cool, but since she wasn't 'popular', they wouldn't give her a second look. They wouldn't get a chance to just sit down and talk with her. The guys wouldn't give her a chance because she didn't have fake breasts and she read all of the time. She wasn't socially inclined to try and fix her insecurities. She didn't think she was that bad looking, honestly, but no one saw anything special about her compared to the competition.

Guys nowadays wanted slutty girls that were known by everyone and could take them to the top of the social latter. No one was interested in a normal girl with unaltered body parts and natural hair color. She was, for the most part, satisfied with her looks. Sure, there were a couple of things she wouldn't mind changing, but who wouldn't? She would never admit this to anyone, but she had even asked her mother for makeup before. Her mother refused to buy her anything besides mascara. _You are beautiful just the way you are_, she would always say. Ms. Kramer would only, occasionally, let her borrow some volumizing mascara of hers. Her mother was determined not to have a daughter who relied on makeup to feel beautiful. She had personally gone through that.

Ms. Kramer was confident that her plan for her daughter had worked. So far, Jessica was extremely independent and responsible. But, she had to admit, she'd started to worry when Jessica had never gotten a boyfriend and had stopped crushing on boys. She was extremely overjoyed when she'd seen her daughter that afternoon. Plus, when she'd found out who the boy was, she'd nearly passed out.

If there was one thing that Ms. Kramer was responsible about and paid attention to, it was romance. She was a relationship expert. She was already a talented matchmaker (all of her married friends knew that), and she'd had nothing to do all of those years that she'd been single. She'd been a talented matchmaker for everyone—except for herself. Lucky for her, Mr. Kramer had made the first move.

Thank god she had met Officer Roulin when she did. She had been getting dangerously depressed and stressed with work and loneliness. Now that she was no longer officially single, she could be herself again and start to be a matchmaker once more. She planned to look more into this 'annoying' Drew Hitley and his relationship with her daughter. She needed something to do, and this was an interesting case. _If they end up together, so be it_, her mother thought.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Thank you for commenting everybody! It means so much! I'd ask for a certain number of reviews again, but I'm scared to ask because you'd give me that # of reviews x5 and i wouldn't get to it in time! Again, thnx so much! But... still... i am gonna be an absolutely horrible person and ask for 65! Love ya!_**

Jessica was having uncomfortable dreams that night.

_Jessica was sitting at the kitchen table in her pajamas eating a bowl of cereal. She was about to pour in more milk when the front door burst open before her. Haze and fog poured in from outside as two tall figures stepped into the kitchen. Jessica was horrified to realize that it was her mother and Officer Roulin._

"_Hey, there, kiddo!" Officer Roulin boomed. He looked distinguished and very clean-cut in his tuxedo._

"_Why are you wearing a tux?" Jessica asked him, her voice sounding faint in her own ears. Horror overtook her in a terrifying drowning sensation. She went numb. Jessica looked at her mother and her suspicion was confirmed. Ms. Kramer was decked in a spotless white gown that shaped her beautifully. Her thin hair was now thick and radiant. Waves of light almost appeared to generate from her being._

"_He popped the big question!" Ms. Kramer said, an abnormally large smile overtaking her face. Her teeth were almost as white as her gown. "We're getting MARRIED!"_

_The last word repeated itself inside of Jessica's head like an aggravating song that refused to disappear. Each syllable was becoming more clear and pronounced. The kitchen faded away along with Jessica's mother and her new stepfather. She was now alone as darkness engulfed her and her screams that no one would ever hear filled the void._

_Jessica began to fall, fall, and continue to fall. Her limbs flailing, she continued to scream, even though now no sound was exiting her mouth. Her face began to feel wet and blotchy for no reason. She noticed a familiar sound was getting closer and closer. With a painful collision, Jessica hit a somewhat solid ground. It felt damp and it was cold to the touch._

_She sat up hastily, wiping her forehead. It was damp, too. She scrambled to her feet. The ground felt like soaked concrete, but darkness was still completely around her. A blue light was dimly illuminating the space. She could see, but barely. She blinked a couple of times in attempt to improve her vision. It helped none._

_This was when Jessica started to feel droplets of water dropping into her hair. A cold breeze greeted her with an eerie whisper. It bit at her face and whipped her hair and clothes. This was when Jessica realized she was now fully clothed. A dark blue sweater fit her shape perfectly and she was wearing a pair of skinny jeans. Where had these clothes come from? She didn't have any like these in her closet._

_She began to realize it was starting to rain. As more time passed, the rain hardened. It came pouring down like knives desperate to find a target. It was lashing her skin so hard in was almost painful._

_Jessica heard thunder sound in the uncertain distance. She didn't know where it came from, or how far away it was, but she knew it was loud and it was dangerous. Since she had no idea of which direction was it's source, Jessica began to run blindly to the right. The wind followed her and seemed to push her towards the direction she was running._

_At one point, the wind became so strong, she didn't even have to move her feet. It was just like getting stuck in an ocean current. The wind carried her effortlessly to her destination. She didn't know where she was going or why she was going there. All she knew is that she needed to get away from the thunder—the horrible, horrible thunder that wanted her so badly._

_Jessica felt a sense of completion as the wind let her go in an empty clearing. It was still the darkest night Jessica had ever known, and the dim blue light was barely enough to give her visibility. The clearing was large and had a scary beauty to it. Suddenly, trees appeared all around the bushes framing the clear space. Jessica felt trapped. She felt cornered._

_The thunder sounded closer. It was approaching fast. Jessica tried to run away to the shelter of the dark trees, but the bushes kept moving and getting in her way. The second she decided she'd try to jump one, large thorns sprang from it's leaves. The sharp ends twinkled, as if daring her to come closer. She backed away with a shriek and ran to the center of the clearing._

_The rain was now pounding against her like knives. It was acid rain to her. It made her skin burn and sizzle. Steam arose from her arms. It was almost like it was slowly melting her. Jessica was reminded of the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz._

"_Help!" she tried to scream, but nothing came out. "Somebody, anybody, help me!"_

_Only the cold and bitter wind answered her screams. It swirled around her like a tornado. A deafening sound like a freight train roared in her ears. She clapped her palms over her ears in an effort to stop the painful roaring. She began to feel in the pit of her stomach that she didn't have much time. As if in answer, thunder sounded again—and this time, it was right over her head._

_Jessica closed her eyes so tightly it hurt. She stood up, pushing her hands even harder against her ears, and screamed for help to the skies. Predictably, none came._

_The freight train sounded again, this time louder than ever, and the sound tortured her. The whirling tornado of wind and whispering voices became louder also, whipping her hair round and round. She screamed._

"_Stop!" she yelled. "Stop! Leave me alone! Why do you want me? I'll do anything, I swear!"_

_Then it was over._

_Everything stopped. Everything was quiet. Everything was dark. Every loud sound that had been deafening her was suddenly shut off, as if it could be controlled by a simple switch. Jessica barely dared to breathe. She was afraid that if she made a sound, the tornado of whispers would come back for her._

_As if in comfort, her dream shifted. The complete darkness was replaced by a dim orange sky with gray clouds gathering near her. Soft, peaceful, and somehow comforting thunder sounded miles away. This thunder didn't frighten her. It was comforting. It rumbled softly like an old friend. Soft, cold rain swept down and covered the land like a curtain. The cold rain felt good against her hot skin. It cooled and soothed it._

_She was no longer afraid to move or make a sound. Comfortably warm wind swept through the stretch of land, rustling invisible trees and fallen leaves. The sounds and setting sounded familiar, but nothing showed. Everything was a blank canvas. No other person or sign of life was anywhere. There was just a ground, a sky, rain, clouds, a breeze, and her. Nothing else, nothing more._

_The kind rain touched her gently, but it continued to pour with force. It soaked her hair, causing it to look a little less thick and fall into soft, dripping waves. Her dark sweater appeared no different wet than it did dry. Her jeans did not change appearance, either. The water only caused them to grow a shade darker. She didn't feel soaked and miserably cold like she had that afternoon._

_That was it. She knew what this place reminded her of: that afternoon. The sounds were the same, the same events were happening—only improved for her comfort—but she was feeling much happier. She wished the kind, comforting rain would never leave her. It was her safe-haven._

_Dread slowly took over her body and caused her to shiver in the warm summer rain._

"_If the same things are gonna happen," she began miserably, "then that means—"_

_Confirming her thought, a convertible's engine could be heard nearby. She couldn't see it, but she knew it was there. Sure enough, a white convertible pulled up by her side, honking repeatedly. The dark window rolled down, revealing the last face that Jessica wanted to see—especially in her dreams._

"_Hey," Drew smiled._

_Jessica groaned. Even when she was away from him, she couldn't get away from him!_

_She just now noticed that Drew didn't look exactly the same as he had when she was conscious._

"_Hey," Jessica said weakly. Her gaze was locked on his face._

_Drew didn't look the same like he had that afternoon. When he'd rolled down the window earlier, he had looked annoyed and frustrated, mixed with the I'm-trying-to-impress-you smile._

_Not this time._

_Drew was wearing that new smile. He was wearing the smile that he had worn when she'd finally agreed to get hot chocolate with him. It was the same smile that had spread across his face in embarrassment when she had been drying off his hair. It was the one thing that Drew could do that had any control over her at all._

_A sleepy smile spread across Jessica's face and she scratched the back of her neck nervously._

_Dream Drew's eyebrows raised._

"_What's up with you?" he asked, looking puzzled. Still, the attractive smile's impressions was left on his face, which was enough to make her feel uncomfortable._

_Her mouth hung open for a second. She was unsure what to say. She was totally speechless in front of Drew Hitley—there was a first for everything, right? Even if it was just a dream._

"_Uh," she stuttered, "nothing. Nothing at all. I'm just kind of out of it today."_

_Drew shrugged._

"_That frog thing isn't still bothering you, is it?"_

"_No, no, no," she shook her head repeatedly. "I'm good. By the way, thanks for that. You didn't have to do it, you know."_

_In fact, once she thought about it, he didn't have to do a lot of things. He didn't have to follow her around every day. He didn't have to constantly annoy her. No one made him have such a stubborn mind._

_Then again, no one had made him dissect the frog for her. No one had forced him to drive her home. No one had made him buy her a hot chocolate or hold his jacket over her head to try and block the rain. No one had made him care. But that was the question: why did he care?_

_The warm rain stuck to her eyelashes in microscopic droplets. She felt so comfortable. She never wanted to leave._

"_You should probably get in the car," he said. The smug smile spread across his face. "This car is really comfortable. It's expensive, too. You'll be comfortable in it."_

_Of course, Dream Drew wouldn't be totally flawless. He still had to be a little lifelike._

_Jessica rolled her eyes._

"_Thanks, but I'm good," she said._

"_Are you sure? Because I just don't want you getting sick or something."_

_An appreciative smile overtook her face. Jessica was just now realizing that the offer had been sincere, not superficial. Drew looked surprised that she'd graced him with a smile for once._

"_Yeah, I'm sure," she nodded, still smiling at him. She avoided eye contact still. Just because she was dreaming didn't mean that she wasn't going to stick to her self-established rules. She didn't need to get out of habit. "Thanks, though. Really."_

_The corners of his eyebrows creased in concern._

"_You're definitely in a better mood. What happened?"_

"_I, uh, cleared my head a little bit."_

"_Oh. Well, Kramer, you should clear your head a little more often. I like you more like this."_

_Color rose in her cheeks. He noticed with a smile._

"_Well, I think I'm just gonna walk home in this," Jessica said, looking up at the sky. She let the rain drench her face. "It's actually kinda nice."_

_Drew looked at her. Jessica noticed it was the same unreadable expression he had worn that afternoon. He straightened up in his seat. He laughed to himself and shook his head._

"_What?" Jessica asked defensively, touching her eyes. Was her mascara running again?_

_Drew waited a while before he answered. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully._

"_You're something else, Jessica, you know that?" he asked, the unreadable expression still on his face._

"_Is that a good thing?" she asked, not really sure what he was getting at._

_Again, Drew waited before he answered._

"_Yeah, yeah, don't worry," he smiled, still gazing at her. "It's a good thing."_

_She smiled to herself._

"_I'll see you later, Drew," she said, turning and walking towards the direction she assumed her house would be._

_To her surprise, she saw the white car pass her. It drove past her, but it was only temporary. Soon, the break lights came to life and the car came to a halt. Even more to her surprise, the engine shut off and the convertible was parked. She stopped in her tracks. What was he doing now? Even her Dream Drew was confusing and unpredictable._

_Drew climbed out of the driver's side, shutting the door and flinching. He acted as if he expected the rain was going to burn him alive. His body relaxed and he opened his eyes slowly. Jessica couldn't help but laugh to herself. Hadn't he _ever_ heard of rain before?_

"_What are you doing?" she asked. "You're gonna get wet. I thought Drew Hitley didn't do rain."_

_He shrugged._

"_It's not that bad," said Drew, holding his arms out in front of him. He scanned them carefully to insure no damage._

"_Isn't your coat gonna get ruined?" she asked. "How much do I wanna bet that thing costs more than my house?"_

"_If you want your bet to even be considered you'd have to offer up your house," Drew laughed. It wasn't the superficial one, it was the nice one. That was number two on the weakness list. Or was it three? Great, he was racking them up._

_One: smile_

_Two: eyes_

_Three: laugh_

_When would the additions end? Just a day ago there was no list. She didn't like where this was going. She dreaded the answer she knew he was about to give her._

"_I'm gonna walk with you," he said decidedly. Once again, he had that look of final decision on his face. No matter how much she begged, he would not leave her alone or change his mind. She sighed hopelessly._

"_Sure, why not?" she muttered. His smile of happiness beamed again. She looked away quickly. As he joined her side, Jessica suddenly became very interested in her shoes—which she just now noticed were black high-heeled boots. She had to know where this wardrobe was coming from. She actually kind of liked it._

"_Which way is your house?" he asked._

"_Why do you want to know where I live?" Jessica returned. "Stalker?"_

"_Drew Hitley doesn't stalk girls, girls stalk Drew Hitley," he answered obviously. Yep, this Drew was definitely lifelike._

"_Sure," Jessica said sarcastically._

_They began to walk in the direction Jessica assumed that they should go. She was so used to walking home every day, she was going at a power walk and didn't even realize it. Even though Drew was tall and had long legs, he was having trouble keeping up. She assumed that the rain probably didn't help things._

"_God, it's not like you have to be somewhere," Drew said, his breathing getting louder. Jessica was still breathing normally._

"_Keep up, movie star," she said, looking back over her shoulder. His deep blue eyes met her's. Predictably, Jessica glanced away hastily. He was beginning to notice that she refused to make eye contact. Dream Drew made a mental note to try and make sure that she shook that habit._

_A thought entered Jessica's hazy mind. Why was she dreaming about this? Why was she dreaming about _him_? She didn't care about Drew... so why was she dreaming this? And why was he so easily able to make her feel uncomfortable? All he had to do was look at her and she felt her cheeks burn. What was going on?_

_She knew that if this continued, it would become a habit. And if it became a habit, then she would get this easily embarrassed in real life. And it was unacceptable for her to show the least bit of weakness around Drew in real life. But still, a tiny voice in the back of Jessica's head told her to stay where she was. It told her not to disturb the way things were. The small voice was liking this, and that made her angry with herself._

_Jessica knew that if she let things play out and she acted the way the little voice wanted her to, it would go in the wrong direction. She couldn't dream like that, or it would mess things up in reality. She couldn't let herself fall into a habit of being nice to him or maybe even nicer than nice. The tiny voice in the back of her head was telling her to flirt without anything to gain, and she absolutely _could not_ get used to that. The real Drew would grab at the chance and take her down while her back was turned, and she refused to be weak. Jessica refused to be putty in his hands like every other girl._

"_I am strong and independent," she mumbled to herself. "He's not gonna get me so easily. He's not gonna get me at all, if I can help it."_

"_Did you say something?" Drew asked, running up to her side. He was panting and the rain was flinging everywhere off of his hair. He shook his head like a dog and the warm water sprayed Jessica in the face._

"_No, no, just talking to myself," Jessica muttered. "By the way, thanks for that."_

"_What?"_

"_For flinging water in my face."_

"_It's raining, in case you haven't noticed, Kramer," he answered. "Normal people might be used to getting stuck in the rain, but Drew Hitley certainly is not."_

_Jessica turned her head towards him. She raised an eyebrow._

"_What? Scared you might mess up your hair?"_

_She said it in a sarcastic tone that he found offensive._

"_No," he said quickly, his hand involuntarily shooting to his hair._

_Jessica laughed knowingly._

"_It's not funny. It's not that I care what it looks like," he lied, "it's just that it's wasting money. My manager would have my head if she knew I was getting my expensive hair wet."_

"_You pay to get your hair done?"_

"I_ don't pay, my manager does," he said haughtily. "It's all part of the image. I have to look unbelievably handsome at all times."_

"_Not at _all _times," Jessica said, touching his jacket. "You're looking pretty soggy right now."_

"Drew Hitley _doesn't get 'soggy'."_

"_You are now."_

"_Yeah, well, this is a first. For some reason, you're the exception."_

_She slowed down slightly and raised her eyebrows again._

"_I mean, this time is the exception. _That's _what I meant."_

"_Right," she shrugged it off._

"_Anyway," he said, trying to change the subject, "you don't seem to be too worried."_

"_About?"_

"_You know, your image," said Drew._

"_What's that supposed to mean?" she asked defensively._

"_Nothing! I mean, you don't seem to care if you get stuck in the rain. Every girl I've ever met would start freaking out when a drop of water gets on them. You, on the other hand, bathe in it."_

"_It's just water," she shrugged, picking up her pace. "It's not like I'm gonna melt or anything. It doesn't 'mess up my hair'."_

"_Be quiet," he rolled his eyes. "So it doesn't affect your hair at all?"_

"_Nope."_

"_You just wing it."_

"_Yep."_

"_Your hair doesn't look like you just get it wet and let it dry. I thought you worked on it."_

"_Uh, no," she said, starting to blush._

"_So it's natural? Seriously?" he asked, an admiring tone in his voice._

_Drew reached out and touched it gently._

"_Yeah, yeah, it is," she answered, begging that he didn't notice how red her face was getting. It was just as flattering in her dreams as it was in reality—fabulous._

_It felt like she was getting weaker with every passing moment. She didn't like this. She wanted desperately to wake up, but the little voice in her head wanted otherwise._

"_Jessica?" he asked suddenly._

_Drew slowed to a stop and just stood there in the pouring rain. He was looking at the ground hesitantly. Once again, she noticed, he wasn't making eye contact—a very non-Drew thing to do. Even though she desperately didn't want to, she knew she had no choice. Jessica stopped walking and trudged back to the spot where Drew stood waiting._

"_Yeah?" she asked. She crossed her arms over her chest and let the rain pour._

_He looked unnaturally nervous and seemed to suddenly become very interested in the ground. Drew bit his bottom lip and his messy bangs fell into his face. Water ran it's way down his face. He was silent._

"_Yeah?" she had to ask again. The moment was so tense and sharp it felt like you could cut it with a butter knife._

_She felt as if she could anticipate the question coming. She didn't know exactly what it was, but she knew it wasn't good. It wasn't good for her, anyway._

"_Can we—" he began, but stopped. He licked his lips nervously. "What I meant was, well," he was still tongue-tied, "do you want to try?"_

_Jessica was confused._

"_Try? Try what?"_

"_Being friends," he answered quickly. The two words rushed out of his mouth so quickly it was almost hard to understand what he had said._

"_Friends?" she repeated. She said it in a way that made Drew's heart sink._

"_Um, yeah," he answered. He lifted his eyes away from the ground and watched her every move. He was searching for any sign that might signal that she liked the idea._

"_Friends?" she said again. It was like her brain didn't process that word. Half of her said 'why not?' and the other half said 'no way!' A completely blank look came over her face and didn't leave._

"_Friends," he confirmed._

_Darn it. She'd heard him right._

"_Drew," she began cautiously, "I'm not sure we should—"_

_Jessica stopped cold. The look on his face tore her apart. He was wearing the hopeful look he had been wearing in the car that afternoon. She couldn't say no, not when he was looking like that. It appeared that being friends with her was the most important thing in the universe to him at the moment._

"_Oh," he said strangely. All kinds of different thoughts were running through his mind. What sane girl would say no to Drew Hitley? Of course, it was Jessica. He hadn't really been expecting a yes. But then again, was she sane? He was still asking himself that question every day._

"_Sure," Jessica heard herself say. It felt like her mind and body were completely separated at that point. She hadn't really remembered deciding she would except his offer, it just sort of came out._

_Then came the second look Drew gave that she was powerless against. The look of sheer happiness overtook his features. His face lit up in a smile and his eyes seemed to glow. The only bad thing about Dream Drew was that these facial expressions were just like real life except multiplied by ten. If Real Drew made her turn as red as a beat, then no telling what effect Dream Drew had on her._

Fortunately, she never found out. At the exact moment Drew's smile was making her feel faint, she was awoken by a loud beeping. Her eyes flew open.

She was back in her room. She was wrapped tightly in her warm sheets. She was turned halfway around in bed. Her legs were dangling off of the edge of her mattress and the covers were wrapped around her tightly like a cocoon. She had obviously tossed and turned while she'd been sleeping. Jessica couldn't even begin to explain how relieved she was to be awake. She was so happy to be back in the real world, where things were predictable and there wasn't a tornado chasing her and there was no Drew that had a glowing face. Well, that last part was only partly true.

She groaned. She was just now realizing what a throbbing headache she had. Did she hit her head on her headboard at some point last night? The obnoxious alarm wasn't helping matters, either. She struggled to reach her alarm clock with the covers wrapped so snugly around her body. Jessica barely managed to reach her alarm and cut it off. It was too bad that Drew's mouth couldn't be turned off with a switch. That would be lovely, she had to conclude.

She ran her hand through her twisted hair. It was strewn across her mattress like seaweed. What she would do to just get away from this all...


	9. Chapter 9

_**Thanks for commenting, you guys! I know its short, but I thought it was a good place to stop. PPPPLLLLEEEEAAAASSSSSEEEE keep reviewing! It means so much to me! It INSPIRES me! LOL. ;) (wink wink)**_

Drew, for the first time in a long while, slept extremely well that night. His sleep was deep and was never disturbed. It had been a dreamless sleep—well, almost. When he awoke, he couldn't really recall what his short dream had been, but he just knew one thing: at some point, the dark-haired Jessica had been in it.

Drew was starting to become uncomfortable with how much she seemed to be on his mind. He knew that since that first day they met and she had nearly given him a stroke seemed to leave an imprint in his mind, but why was it on his mind _all of the time_? He was Drew Hitley, so surely he had other things to do—better things to do! His schedule should be what was on his mind. All of his interviews and photo shoots should be what he was thinking about, not a girl.

_After all_, he told himself, _Drew Hitley doesn't fall for a girl. Girls fall for Drew Hitley._

Wait a minute, why was he even thinking about 'falling'? She was simply a nobody that he needed to add to his fan base. But that was just it. Why did he _have_ to have her in his fan club? Why did he care? After all, she was just one person, right? He was being ridiculous, he realized. He couldn't even answer his own haunting question. A small voice in his head could answer, but he refused to listen to it.

Just then, a knock came to his door. Drew crossed the room and opened it reluctantly. He would kill whoever was disturbing him this early in the morning without a good reason. The only acceptable reason he could come up with was someone saving his life by telling him there was about to be an earthquake.

Because it was a force of habit and it was normal routine, Drew looked at himself quickly in the mirror before answering the door.

Not bad at all for just waking up.

"Mr. Hitley," his chauffeur nodded politely, "good morning."

"Actually, it's not such a good morning," Drew scowled. "How could it be a decent morning when someone comes knocking on your door at all hours?"

His chauffeur sighed, trying to keep his patience. He straightened his quaint hat.

"Sir, I was only knocking this early to benefit you."

"How so?"

"Well, sir, between you and me," he began.

The limousine driver leaned in closer and dropped his voice down to a whisper. This confused Drew. Why was he leaning in to whisper with his chauffeur in a hotel hallway at six o'clock in the morning? But at the same time, he wanted to hear what he had to say. Something, perhaps it was the urgent tone in his driver's voice, told him it was something he'd want to hear.

"Mr. Hitley," he started again, "It has been brought to my attention that over the period of time you have been attending this school—"

"Get on with it, please, I'm tired!"

"Yes, sir," he said in a restrained voice. "But like I was saying, lately I have noticed that a certain someone usually gets to school a little earlier than most of the other students."

Drew's eyebrows knitted.

"Well, good for them," Drew rolled his eyes. "Now, if you excuse me, I think I hear some ice cream calling my name."

Drew tried to shut his door, but it was stopped by his impatient driver.

"What are you doing?"

"Sir, I honestly do believe you'd be interested in this."

"Tell me later."

"I can't! I must tell you now!"

"Fine! Fine! Just hurry up! I am about to fall asleep standing up. Now, why would I care if some person gets to school early?"

"Mr. Hitley, it's not just _some person_."

"Tell me who goes to that school that really means any significance to me."

"Miss Jessica, sir."

This grabbed his attention as he was about to shut the door again. He suddenly felt more awake.

"Go on," said Drew.

A knowing smile spread across the portly man's face. He took a deep breath.

"She usually gets to school around six twenty. I took time to memorize the time for your benefit, sir."

"How did you know?" was all Drew could say.

"A little birdie told me."

Drew was starting to feel the color rising in his cheeks.

"Tell me, why would that matter?" he asked.

He was an actor. He should be able to sound more convincing! However, his gracious chauffeur didn't call him out on it.

"Sir, I just remembered how you gave this girl a ride home and—"

"So what? I gave a lot of girls a ride home on my first day."

"Yes, sir. But you didn't stop to get them hot chocolate or literally drag them into your car."

Drew was shocked. How did he know about that? His driver read his face like a book.

"You talk in your sleep, Mr. Hitley."

This time he knew for a fact his face was as red as a tomato. Now he remembered what he'd been dreaming about... how embarrassing!

"It was... uh... nothing. I can't control what I dream about! It's totally involuntary! I... I..."

"It's alright, sir."

"No, it's not alright! There is nothing to be alright on! There's nothing going on!" he said defensively, running his hand through his blonde hair in frustration.

"Sir, if you don't mind me saying, I _have _noticed how infatuated you seem to be with this girl."

"I'm not _infatuated_ with Jessica! That's—that's hilarious! She's just... just... different. Jessica is... something else."

"If we continue to stand here and chatter we will not get to the school early enough."

"Fine, let me get dressed!" Drew said hurriedly, shutting the door.

The wise chauffeur smiled to himself triumphantly and went downstairs to prepare the car.

As the limo pulled up, all Drew had on his mind was Jessica—again. Surprisingly, he actually liked how a crowd of girls wasn't completely swarming him when he got out of the car. In fact, no one came. Since any girl who would have run up to him was probably too busy at home putting on fifty tons of makeup, he was completely alone. Jessica was the only one who bothered to get to school early, which meant he would get more alone time.

Drew took advantage of this quiet time to himself and tried to plan out what he would say to her. For the hundredth time, Jessica was the first girl he was speechless in front of. He wondered what it was about her that made his mind go completely blank...

Perhaps it was her originality and how natural she was. She didn't seem superficial and plastic like so many of the others. Maybe it was something else that had to do with looks, like how she had pretty hair without having to work on it and bright blue eyes. To be honest, he was surprised she wasn't taken. To add to it, her skin color was completely natural and not sprayed on.

Her attitude was also different. She was the first girl he had ever met who didn't fall all over him. Jessica Kramer didn't do fanaticism, obviously, and that was something completely alien to him. For some reason, he almost didn't want her to give into him so easily. He wasn't sure how to describe it, but he almost liked having to work for her. It... it gave him an excuse.

Drew swaggered into school like usual, acting like he owned the place. He went straight to the cafeteria, hoping that she would be there. If she wasn't, he knew she'd be in the library. He was desperately hoping that she wasn't in the library—it brought back unpleasant memories from the day before.

Drew decided to look at his reflection before he faced Jessica again. Not that he didn't always look perfect, but Jessica was making him more self-conscious.

_How is she able to resist me?_ he had to ask himself once more. _Every time I see her, there has to be something wrong with my appearance. Otherwise, there is no reason she wouldn't fall all over me whenever I see her. Maybe it_ is _my attitude..... nah!_

Drew looked at his reflection in a nearby window. Flawless, as always!

The teen star made his way through the large oak, wooden doors. His heart was racing inside of his chest, almost as if it were trying to burst through the skin and run away. Why was he getting so nervous? There was no excuse for this!

_This is supposed to be the other way around!_ he thought angrily, running his hand through his styled hair. He hastily fixed his hair back to it's previous form once he realized he'd probably messed it up. She _is the one who is supposed to get nervous around _me_! Drew Hitley doesn't get nervous in front of girls! Girls get nervous in front of Drew Hitley!_

Then Drew looked down and saw something he'd never expected to see. His hands were sweating. Since when did they do that? He hastily wiped them off on his pants. It didn't work. With a groan, he stuck them in his pockets. This was great... Drew Hitley doesn't _sweat_. It's gross!

Drew shuffled into the cafeteria to find Jessica sitting at a nearby table. She was—surprise, surprise—reading. He noticed his breath was quickening. What was wrong with him? Was this girl's mental problems rubbing off on him? Drew Hitley can't still be acting this way when he returns to Hollywood or the press would have another field day.

He gathered up what was left of his courage and strutted towards the table. Jessica was too submerged in her story to notice.

_Bringing back memories_, Drew thought. He was suddenly reminded of the day they met. That was not a good memory, and it was definitely not helping his nerves. He still couldn't process the fact that _he_ was getting nervous for this girl.

"Hey," Drew muttered, noticing he wasn't sounding like himself. Apparently, Jessica noticed too, because she didn't ignore him or turn away. She closed her book—didn't slam it—and looked up with a questioning look.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"What are you talking about?" he replied, his voice going an octave higher. She giggled.

"Yeah, 'cause you sound just fine."

"Shut up!" he snapped, clenching his fists. She looked genuinely surprised and slightly shaken.

Drew felt guilty. He'd only been angry because he was frustrated with himself. His intentions hadn't been to offend her. In fact, that had been the last thing he'd wanted to do. He couldn't bring himself to apologize, however. It was a very unDrew-like thing to do. The word 'sorry' wasn't really in his vocabulary.

"Okay..." she said slowly, taking a deep breath. She hadn't seen that coming. "So, what are you doing here? It's early. I'm always the only one here."

"Yeah, well, not anymore," he said, scooting his chair closer to her. In response, she scooted away.

"Lovely," she said sarcastically, opening her book again.

He decided to change the subject. He wanted to turn things to his advantage.

"So," he said quietly, trying to make her nervous, "how did you like the hot chocolate?"

Her jaw tightened and she stiffened. He smirked.

"It was _okay_," she said through her teeth. "Now, for the hundredth time since I've met you, _leave me alone_."

"You know what happens when you ask me that question," he cooed, wrapping his arm around the back of her chair.

She shuddered, slammed her book close, and scooted her chair back, dragging him along with it. She huffed and stood up to leave.

"Don't ever do that again, _please_," she begged, turning on her heel.

"Alright, look, I'm sorry!"

Jessica froze. She turned around, hardly believing what she'd heard.

"_What_ did you say?"

Drew looked just as stumped as she was.

"I... I don't know."

"Did Drew Hitley just _apologize_?" she asked, putting her hand across her chest in mock disbelief. Not only had he just apologized, but he'd just apologized to _her_.

Drew stood up out of his chair. He walked past her, his head feeling dizzy. Jessica followed behind him, having trouble keeping up with his long stride. She wasn't used to _him_ trying to get away from _her_. It was normally the other way around.

"Did The Drew Hitley just say sorry?" she repeated.

Drew stopped walking down the cafeteria aisle and took a deep breath. His lips pursed until they were just a thin line running across his face.

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it," he mumbled, looking at the ground.

She laughed.

"What's so funny?" he asked, looking up. His eyebrows pulled together as she started to chuckle so much she had to place her hand over her mouth.

She couldn't even speak. She just shook her head.

"What are you laughing at?" he kept asking. She had to choke through the laughs.

"It's... it's... nothing..." she gasped. She turned to run to her locker. As usual, Drew followed her to try and figure out the mystery that was Jessica. Because of his long stride, he was practically in front of her.

"What is it?!"

"Your face..." she managed to say through the giggles. Jessica arrived at her locker and switched out books.

"What about my face?" he asked eagerly. "Why are you smiling? My face? Well, it is pretty irresistible."

This made her laugh even harder. Drew just now began to notice that... this was the first time he'd ever heard her laugh. It was the first time she'd ever laughed around _him_. It was loud, and boisterous, and carefree. And to add onto it... her smile. It pulled up both corners of her mouth into a huge grin. Her grin was big and it was so wide that it made her eyes squint. Her teeth were straight and stunningly white. She had been smiling so much her cheeks were rosy and her eyes glinted with merriment. Oh god, _her smile_.

He found himself staring.

Jessica was still exchanging the books in her bag with the books in her locker. She was still laughing to herself.

"No, no, trust me, that's not it," she giggled. Even that comment didn't snap him back into reality. He was still staring at her without really realizing it. "It's just that... when you—when you make that face... it, uh, looks a little funny."

"What do you mean 'funny'?" he asked, still staring at her.

"You don't look 'irresistible'. You... uh... look a little..." she couldn't bring herself to continue. The giggles were starting to bubble up again. Her cheeks were turning a darker shade of pink. "Just don't make that face. It—it makes you look... constipated."

When Drew's jaw dropped, this just made matters worse. She laughed louder than before. Now she was finished with her books and closed her locker door. Jessica turned to him and continued to chuckle endlessly.

"You might want to close your mouth," she laughed between giggles. "You'll catch flies in there."

Drew shut his mouth, his eyes never leaving her. They weren't angry or offended like she'd expected them to be... they were happy. They were almost alluring. She was starting to feel a little uncomfortable under his stare.

Drew stuck his hands in his pockets again, realizing that they were so wet they felt like he'd just put them under a water faucet. She was still smiling that wide smile, and he couldn't look away. He leaned against the edge of the lockers, his body feeling oddly limp. He was still eying her.

She was getting fidgety under his stare. She knew she was seeing things... but were his eyes looking a little longingly? Almost... _hungrily_?

Her cheeks went from a rosy pink to crimson. Drew smiled back at her in response to this.

It was about ten seconds before Drew realized he wasn't staring at her anymore. He was staring at the spot by her locker where she had been standing just a few seconds before. He looked up hurriedly, his eyes searching the hallway hastily. By now, Jessica was halfway down the hall, about to go out the door.

He wanted to yell, 'wait!' but his voice was almost gone.

Before Drew knew it, he was feeling angry. He was feeling extremely ticked with himself. Wasn't _he_ supposed to be charming _her_? Once again, it's not supposed to be the other way around! _She_ was supposed to be staring at _him_ so much that it made _him _uncomfortable. _She_ was supposed to be following _him_ around like a puppy dog! What was wrong with him—staring at her like some obsessed creep. She was driving him insane. He could feel his mind slipping away every day—no, every time he talked to her. Which, due to his mental issues, was about every second of the day now.

_Idiot!_ he scolded himself. _What's wrong with you? As if you haven't creeped her out enough already!_

He ran his hand through his blond locks frustratedly. He mentally slapped himself.

_She'll avoid you more than ever now, genius,_ the voice in his head told him, aggravated. _Spend time with her without acting like a total moron!_

"Why?" he asked himself, not really sure why he was asking himself 'why'. _Why_ did he act like a moron around her? _Why_, when he did talk to her, did he say something dumb? _Why_ wasn't he Mr. Smooth like always? _Why_ did he stare at her, unable to force himself to look away, at random moments? _Why_ did every muscle in his body object when he wanted to tear his eyes from her face? _Why_ had his heart rate increased tenfold at the mere _thought_ of talking to her? _Why_, he just realized, when she was smiling, was he getting the urge to pull her closer?

He sighed, and decided to do something he knew he'd regret.

He was off to find the girl he wanted so badly to look at every second of the day.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Hey peeps! I hope you like this chapter! It's a very important one! DUN DUN DUUUHHHH!!!!!lol I hope u all fall in love with it! PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! Love u guys!**_

In Language and Literature, Drew was watching Jessica even more than usual. Although Ms. Warren had personally picked Drew as a new favorite—only favorite, actually—she was starting to get a little flustered at the fact he was becoming inattentive. She had even resulted in moving him away from Jessica (much to Jessica's delight), and that did nothing but make things even worse. He went out of his way to make sure he had a clear line of sight for her.

Then, being the literature and romance lover she was, Ms. Warren began to look at the situation more as a story waiting to unfold than as a problem. She noticed Jessica's unusual giddiness, Drew's obsession with having Jessica in line of sight, and the immense frustration painted on every other girl's face in class. Soon enough, Ms. Warren changed the seating arrangement completely and assigned the two seats right next to each other. Drew was more than happy to subside, but Jessica, on the other hand, was begging Ms. Warren to reconsider.

The strong, self-established literature teacher inside of her, however, told her that the two were too distracted. Drew's grades were doing just fine, but, for the first time, Jessica's were not. Too bad for Jessica that the romance fanatic was a more dominant part of her Literature teacher.

"Ms. Warren," Jessica begged a few days later, "please, can I move to a different seat?"

"Why?" Ms. Warren asked, pretending she didn't have the faintest idea of what Jessica was referring to.

"Because the person sitting beside me is getting on my nerves, and I am having trouble concentrating. Have you noticed my grades, too?" she asked, icily polite. She had a feeling Ms. Warren knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Yes, but it is early in the semester, Miss Kramer," she replied, not looking up from her papers, "and you are a good student. I have a feeling they'll be just fine in the end."

"Yes," Jessica pushed on, "but I am missing a lot of important things in class that I think I'd need to be familiar with for college."

Ms. Warren looked up from her papers and placed her red pencil on the desk with a sigh. She removed her glasses with a sparing glance towards Jessica.

"If you are so confused, than perhaps I should assign you a tutor."

"No!" Jessica shouted before she knew what she was doing. With her luck, she could already see where that was going. Everyone in the class knew Drew was a favorite. "I mean," she added hastily, "I don't think you have to go that far. I just need less distractions during class."

"Tell me, what is Mr. Hitley doing to you that is _so_ distracting?"

"I never said it was Drew," Jessica said, her eyes narrowing.

"It was pretty obvious," Ms. Warren returned, folding her hands together. "Now, what's the problem?"

Jessica twiddled her thumbs and looked at her feet. She shrugged.

"He just... he won't stop..."

"Yes?"

"I don't know... he's always staring at me, and I can't concentrate on anything. I keep telling him to stop but it's no use."

"And why do you think he's doing this?" Warren asked, raising her eyebrows. Jessica looked puzzled and slightly taken aback. She had obviously not been expecting that question. Her expression was blank.

"I don't know," she stuttered, not knowing what her teacher was trying to say. How did that have anything to do with it?

Ms. Warren sighed exasperatedly. She leaned back in her chair.

"Miss Kramer, I have been teaching here a long time. I even remember teaching your father."

Jessica's attention was caught at the mention of her dad. Ms. Warren nodded.

"Yes, that's right. I remember your father very well. He was a talented writer and a very gifted student. His attention was never caught by anything or anyone. He was so attentive and dedicated to his studies. Believe it or not, he was in the running for valedictorian. He never let anything get in his way in class. Until..."

Ms. Warren leaned forward and eyed Jessica meaningfully.

"Until a certain dark-haired girl moved here from Nevada. I think you know of whom I am speaking."

Jessica nodded. She was talking about her mother.

"Until the day of February 16, your father never looked up from his books—never looked away from the board. Until the day your mother walked into class, not sure of where to go, your father didn't know the meaning of the word 'distraction'. When she walked in, the only word your father knew _was_ 'distraction'."

Jessica took a seat in a nearby chair. She enjoyed hearing stories about her father.

"Your father watched her from the moment she walked into this classroom. His eyes never left her, and his grades started to lower, although never drastically. I could never get him to fully pay attention anymore. The only person who was worthy of his attention was your mother, Jessica. In all of my years at this school, I have never seen such a connection. It was almost befuddling."

Jessica grinned and rested her chin on her hand.

Ms. Warren now bit her lip and sucked in a deep breath. For the first time in her life, Jessica was seeing Ms. Warren hesitant. The teacher was almost _nervous_.

"I couldn't help but notice... especially in the past couple of days... that Mr. Hitley isn't paying attention."

Jessica shrugged.

"Like he ever did," she rolled her eyes. "Half of the time he was on his expensive phone surfing the internet."

Ms. Warren sighed. She still didn't understand what she was getting at.

"Miss Jessica, you are a bright girl. Do you not see the point of my story here?"

Jessica raised an eyebrow.

"That my Dad and Mom loved each other? Yeah, I get it. I always knew that. That's one reason my mom didn't take it well when he..." she had trouble saying the last word, "died."

"My point is that I have never seen such chemistry—such sparks before! Until now."

Ms. Warren leaned forward even more, her eyes drilling into Jessica's. She was hoping she wouldn't just have to come out and say it. It wasn't professional for a teacher to be so in-tune with a student's personal life. Especially when they were more in-tune with it than the student herself.

"Really?" Jessica asked eagerly. "Who is it?"

Warren sighed. She lifted a long finger and pointed it out the door.

"Mr. Hitley is distracted because of _you_, Miss Kramer. I have watched. His eyes don't leave you for a single second. It is your father all over again."

Silence.

Then Jessica did the last thing Ms. Warren had been expecting. She started _laughing_. She wasn't only laughing, she was laughing _hard_. However, it almost sounded forced.

"Very funny, Ms. Warren," Jessica laughed, her cheeks turning pink. "That's hilarious! A good laugh was probably just what I needed today."

Ms. Warren rolled her eyes but continued to look at Jessica seriously. It wasn't long before Jessica realized she was the only one laughing. A look of utmost horror worked it's way to Jessica's face.

"I don't joke, Miss Kramer," she said quietly.

"No," Jessica shook her head. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "No, no. You have to be mistaken. Are you—are you saying that Drew is _in love_ with me? That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard!"

Ms. Warren's facial expression didn't falter.

"Wha—what are you saying? He just wants me to be a fan! That's it. That's it."

"You don't sound very sure of yourself."

"I am _very _sure of myself!"

Ms. Warren sounded more sure than Jessica did.

"No need to get upset, Jessica," she said, leaning back in her chair. "You aren't in the dark alone. You now know more than he does."

Jessica was now standing, anger and utter frustration radiating out of every square inch.

"So," Jessica said, grabbing her bag from the floor, "you are delusional enough to think that _Drew Hitley_ is in love with _me_. Not only that, but you are telling me that _he_ doesn't even know it yet?"

"Correct," Ms. Warren said calmly. She normally would not stand for a student speaking to her like this, but she didn't blame Jessica at all. She'd known this would be the reaction.

"You have no idea what you're talking about!" Jessica yelled, her breathing becoming uneven. "Drew _does not_ love me and I _do not_ love him back!"

"I never said that you did," Warren said with a knowing smile. She crossed her arms, looking triumphant.

Jessica gaped.

"I'm done here!" she muttered, not really recognizing her voice. That was the last time she would ever talk to Ms. Warren outside of class time!

With that, she stormed out of the classroom, her thoughts scrambled. Please, _love_ was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard! She couldn't believe that stupid, old, love-sick hag! When was she going to get a life? She should go find a guy of her own instead of trying to live through two stressed out teenagers!

Jessica stomped to her next class, getting there just in time. Lucky for her, Drew had gotten there early and all of the girls had taken any seat anywhere near him. She wasn't sure if she could handle him at the moment. She was too offended and gaping at the thought! She took a seat in the front of the classroom in the only empty desk.

She could feel his eyes on the back of her head the entire period. It almost felt like they were daring her to turn around.

Jessica didn't pay attention to her Biology teacher. She was lost within her own mind.

How could Ms. Warren have the audacity to say, let alone _think_ such an absurd thought?! It was completely ridiculous and totally unrealistic! Like Drew would ever fall for _her_. Like she was sure he'd put it himself, 'Drew Hitley doesn't fall for girls. Girls fall for Drew Hitley.' Not that she cared, but why would he want her when he had the whole school to choose from? It just didn't make sense.

She was also angry at Ms. Warren for forcing that thought to enter her mind. Now, whenever she saw Drew, she would feel uncomfortable. Even more than usual, which could be a problem. Drew would notice how nervous she was acting, completely misinterpret it, and come to the retarded conclusion that _she'd_ fallen for _him_. She was so angry! She never wanted to see that woman again!

She knew one thing... and that was she could _never_ tell Drew what Ms. Warren had been stupid enough to tell her. He would eat it up like the complete egotistical snob that he was. Drew didn't have emotions. As if he was capable of caring for anyone besides himself! Ha! She laughed at the thought.

But the little voice in the back of her head (that she had come to despise deeply) was telling her otherwise. It was laughing to itself, saying that it had seen this coming all along. Jessica worked hard to tune it out and not let her mind go into the gutter.

The tiny voice wanted reason. It wanted to go straight up to Drew and ask the fatal question that Jessica knew would destroy everything. It wanted to see his reaction, to see if the maybe not-so-absurd idea could be partly true. The little voice wanted to make _him_ feel uncomfortable. The voice wanted to find something that Jessica could do to make _him_ feel weak at the knees. Then she remembered.

Only a couple of days ago, Drew had apologized to someone—_her—_for the first time in his life. The way he had pursed his lips, for some reason, had appeared funny to her and made her laugh. For some reason, she had been feeling uneasy and couldn't make herself stop laughing like an idiot. She had expected to him to look at her like she was a loon, but he hadn't. He'd had a look in his eyes Jessica had never seen before. She could remember it almost looked a little longing.

When he smiled sincerely, and not because he was trying to impress her, it wiped her mind blank. Maybe her smile did the same thing to him. After all, he had been gazing at her for what felt like forever without blinking. He'd never done it to her before because she'd never smiled around him, she realized. The thought of him following her around always annoyed her to wit's end, so she'd always tried to make him feel unwelcome and unwanted.

But _why_ had he been looking at her like that, and why did it bother her so much? It was nothing, she told herself. It was simply a look that she couldn't explain, that was all. There was nothing more to add... right?

Her thoughts were disrupted by the bell. She gathered her books together and tried to stand up, but it felt like every move she made was in slow motion. Her brain was processing everything more slowly than normal because she had more pressing matters on her mind.

Just like Jessica had expected, Drew leaned against the door frame of the classroom casually. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and watched her mercilessly with his piercing sapphire eyes. She prayed to the heavens that he would stop. She was about to crack, she knew it.

_Act casual_, she told herself. _Act like normal and he never has to know_.

Jessica tried to walk past him like she normally would, but she was slower than usual. Of course, being as observant as Drew was when watching Jessica, he picked it up easily.

"Someone has something on their mind," he said, raising his eyebrows.

_Shoot!_ she thought. Was she that obvious?

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Jessica snapped, turning to walk down the hall.

Drew snorted.

"It's pretty obvious," he laughed, keeping easily by her side. "You were out of it all class. All you did was just stare at your desk."

Jessica remained silent while weaving in and out of the crowd of students. She was trying to get him off of her trail, but he was able to avoid the crowds of girls and the student body easily. He'd found his ways over the past weeks.

"Ya thinking about me?" he whispered in her ear. This nearly made her trip in surprise. She stumbled over her own feet clumsily, but she felt a warm hand close around hers. If anything, it made her more clumsy. Drew kept her from falling, however.

"No!" she exclaimed defensively, yanking her hand out of his. The voice in her head groaned angrily.

_Why'd you let go?!_ it scolded her.

He just smiled at this gesture of nervousness.

"Okay, okay," he grinned, raising his hands in the air, "I get it. You're not ready for the hand holding."

She glared at him incredulously.

"Hand holding?!" her eyes drilled into his angrily. "You—you—"

"Are stuttering," he breathed, moving closer. Jessica could feel her palms sweating. He certainly was ignoring personal space today.

She groaned and started walking again. She wished that now, more than ever, he would just go away! When would she be able to get it through his thick skull that she wasn't—nor would she ever be—a fan?

As he followed her, he was walking abnormally close to her. He usually kept at least two feet of clearance between them. That number had dwindled to about three inches. Every time she tried to put some space between them, he would just move closer again.

"Ever heard of personal space?" she asked, every word full of annoyance.

"No," he answered lightly, moving an inch closer.

"Well, back up a little!" she hissed, glaring at him again. "People are gonna think things!"

He raised his eyebrows eagerly.

"Like what?"

Jessica could feel her cheeks getting hotter.

"I don't know!" she said, flustered. "Just things! Things that _are not_ happening!"

"Oh," he smiled knowingly, "they'll think we're dating."

Jessica nearly tripped again, but caught herself before Drew had an excuse to grab her hand yet again. She didn't like how he sounded so optimistic.

However, Drew secretly enjoyed how it rolled off the tongue.

"Just back up!" Jessica whispered forcefully, prepared to push him away if necessary.

"Why?" he asked, still wearing the smirk. "Is it making you uncomfortable?"

"Yes! A little!"

"Good," he whispered alluringly, moving closer yet again. Space of clearance: 0.

"Stop it! You're acting like a perv!" she hissed, pushing his arm. He was not prepared for how strong she seemed. She pushed him about four feet.

A wave of guilt swept over him. He was acting inexcusably. Drew Hitley was a ladies man. Drew Hitley was a flirt. But Drew Hitley was _not_ a pervert—not with Jessica, anyway. He tried not to be. She deserved respect, and he wasn't giving her that.

"You're right," he said honestly, scooting away another foot, "I'm sorry."

Her heart rate quickened. Did he just apologize? _Again_? Hadn't he told her to not get used to it? It seemed like she probably ought to.

She wanted to tell him, 'glad you finally realized it!', but she couldn't bring herself to do it. He did seem truly sorry. This was the second time she'd seen remorse since they'd met, and both times he'd shown it for her. Ms. Warren's words were coming back to her, but she shut them out.

"Good," was all she could bring herself to say, although it didn't sound half as forceful as she'd wanted it to sound. It almost sounded weak.

Drew noticed, but didn't do anything except smile to himself. He didn't want to be accused of being a pervert again. That one hurt.

"Jessica," he said suddenly, almost scooting away from her even more.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"If I'm being a jerk, let me know, okay?" he asked, looking over at her. She looked back at him, her eyebrows knitted.

"You're being a jerk," she smiled, listening to the voice in her head for once. She tried to smile like she had a couple of days before.

Apparently, it was convincing enough for him.

_Oh god, not again_, he thought hopelessly. _Jessica, don't do this to me._

She continued to grin her wide smile, her eyes twinkling with merriment. Her cheeks were a rosy pink. Once again, his breath was taken away and he gazed at her. His eyes watched her fondly as a giggle escaped her lips.

Jessica put aside her 'no eye contact' rule for the moment and looked into his sparkling blue eyes. She did it as to make the voice in her mind shut up. She searched his eyes for anything that Ms. Warren might have seen. She saw fondness, she saw admiration, she saw how his eyes seemed to soften, and she saw... something else. With a wave of shock, something connected.

Then she knew.

Drew Hitley was in love with her.


	11. Chapter 11

That afternoon after school, Jessica was sitting alone on the living room couch. Her mind was swarming with confusing thoughts. Confusing thoughts she knew, regrettably, were true.

_Okay, okay, calm down, Kramer!_ she told herself. _Um, okay, Drew Hitley is... in love with you. It's okay... it's cool. Don't freak. Oh, who am I kidding? Of course I have a reason to freak! A harmless game to turn me into a fan turned into a full-blown love fest! How—how could this have happened? I have to be dreaming! I don't know if I am dreaming or not anymore, and I really don't care. If I am dreaming about him falling in love with me, I've lost it. If it is real life and he's fallen for me, then THERE IS A REASON TO FREAK OUT!!!!! I didn't know Drew was capable of those kind of emotions... shocker. But I need to stop avoiding the big question—I'm not some spineless chicken! And that question is—gulp—what am I going to do about it?_

_**Who said you had to do anything about it?**_ the little voice in the back of her head argued. _**I say you need to just let things play out!**_

_Let things play out?_ she retorted. _Let things _play out_? I don't like the tone you're using. I know I'll regret asking you this, but what is that supposed to mean?_

_**Oh, you know exactly what it means,**_ the voice replied. _**See what happens.**_

_Explain?_

_**Think about, Jessica. Don't be angry with the guy. He's in love with you, and love is one of the many uncontrollable things in this life. Don't blame him for it.**_

_I never said I did blame him for it._

_**It's pretty obvious. You aren't too thrilled about the situation.**_

_You're just now picking up on that?_

_**No, of course not! I'm you. We're the same person. I've known since you've known. Maybe even longer...**_

_I'm creeping myself out._

_**Tell me about it.**_

_Am I insane?_

_**Completely.**_

_Shut up! All I know is that Mr. Conceited Jerk-face is in love with me, and I am confused. What do I do? Now that I know, how do I act? Oh god, I couldn't stand it if Drew started acting all high and mighty because I start losing my cool around him._

_**Ya can't lose something you never had.**_

_Be quiet! I'm trying to think here!_

_**Well, you aren't doing a very good job.**_

_Obviously! Because someone keeps interrupting me! Still, what do you expect me to do? How am I supposed to behave?_

_**Well, this is just me, but—**_

_Oh, no, here it comes._

_**I think you should be a little nicer. He is in love with you, after all. Cut the guy a break. Don't you think it will break his heart if you are completely indifferent to him all of the time? He'll think he never has a chance!**_

_Good! Because he doesn't!_

_**Oh, stop it! Make sure you are as cold-hearted as possible, okay? Stoop to his level!**_

_No need to be sarcastic! I don't want to give him the wrong idea._

_**You won't—technically! You'll just be nice to him. That's it. Like a friend.**_

_Like a friend? A _friend_? But we're not friends! I've worked hard to make sure of that!_

_**Why are you so resistant to this guy?**_

_You know! He's shallow, self-absorbed, conceited, and he cares about no one but himself!_

_**Well, almost no one.**_

_Shut up! I still don't see what being nice will do._

_**It would be the right thing to do, that's what.**_

Jessica sighed and stared meaninglessly at the lifeless TV set. Thinking this way was going to get her nowhere. She just argued with herself. It was no use. All she was accomplishing was wasting time.

"Jess?"

Jessica snapped back into reality to find her concerned mother sitting beside her on the couch. Her arms were crossed and she was looking at her daughter with a worried look. Her eyebrows pulled together.

"Oh! Hey, Mom."

"What's going' on with you?"

"What are you talking about?" Jessica asked, crossing her legs and readjusting herself. She grabbed a golden pillow off of the floor and placed it behind her head.

"I've been calling your name for the past five minutes," Ms. Kramer answered, not moving an inch. "I needed help with laundry. When you weren't answering, I thought something was wrong, so I rushed down here and find you staring at the TV. That would be normal... except for the fact that it wasn't turned on."

"Oh."

"A penny for your thoughts?" she asked, her body seeming to relax.

"Um, no. Nothing weird going on. Just, uh, thinking."

"About?"

"None of your business!" Jessica said a little severely. Her mother looked a little taken aback but not surprised. She raised a brow.

"Quick to get defensive," she grinned, "staring blankly into space, and non-responsive. Something tells me you're thinking about something awfully important."

"No," Jessica shook her head. Her voice went an octave higher. Dang it!

"It doesn't sound like nothing," her mother pushed, resting her chin on her palm. "I've seen this too many times before. Somebody is thinking about a boy."

Jessica's eye twitched. How come her mother couldn't do the checkbook, let alone go grocery shopping on her own, but she was able to read minds?

Ms. Kramer smiled.

"I thought so," she laughed, starting to bounce up and down on the couch. Jessica swore up and down sometimes that she was more mature than her mother. "So, let me guess. Does it so happen to be a certain—"

"I don't want to talk about this."

Jessica was off of the couch before her mother knew what was going on. She went into the kitchen to get something to drink. She was suddenly feeling nervous.

"Whoa, hold on there, kiddo," she said, following her daughter. "What's wrong? I understand you don't feel like talking about it right now, and according to _Mrs. Kingridge's Guide to Good Parenting_, I should respect your decisions. But even _you_ aren't so quick to snap at me. What's going on?"

Jessica groaned.

"Nothing, Mom! Please, just leave me alone right now. I need to think things through."

"What things? Are they _boy_ things?"

"Stop, Mom!"

"I will... after you tell me. Please, just tell me if it's a boy problem! That's all I want to know!"

Jessica shook her head. Her mother was practically begging her.

"Okay," Jessica gave in, shutting her eyes tightly. She didn't want to see her mother's face when she answered, "yeah, yeah, it's about a guy. Now, you know what you need to know. No more questions."

"Yes, ma'am," Ms. Kramer smiled, sitting down at the table with a triumphant air. She crossed her legs.

"Why so smug?"

"I can't tell you," her mother chuckled. "You'd get angry with me."

Jessica narrowed her eyes. She could almost hear all of the knobs and gears turning in her mother's head.

Turning they were, indeed. Ms. Kramer was fitting the pieces together like a puzzle. She knew it was about Drew Hitley, that was for sure. And judging by her daughter's body language, she was thinking about something big. Something really big. She wasn't about to try and squeeze it out of Jessica, because she knew she'd be fighting a lost battle. However, when she did her research, she'd find out soon enough.

"So, sweetie," she pitched, trying to change the subject, "you know Christmas is coming up."

Jessica smiled appreciatively. She was glad the subject was changing.

"In about three weeks, yeah," she answered, taking a seat across the table. "Why?"

"I'm just excited," she shrugged, her eyes darting to her daughter's face. "But I was just wondering what you wanted for Christmas."

"A car would be nice."

"Jess," her mother sighed, "I know you'd like a car, but I'm just going to tell you now so you don't get your hopes up. We can't swing it right now."

"Yeah, I know," she sighed, "I do the checkbook, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Just making sure."

Awkward silence.

Ms. Kramer squirmed in her chair.

"Anything else?" she asked Jessica.

"No, not really," her daughter replied, taking a sip of soda. "Well, Mom, maybe some makeup would be nice."

"You don't need makeup! You are perfectly beautiful just the way you are!"

"I know," Jessica said quickly. "I know, Mom. It's just that I'll be a senior in high school in not too long, and I was just wondering if I could please have some. Nothing extreme! Just something to help even up my skin tone. Maybe cover a zit I may get here and there. I am seventeen, Ma. Please?"

Ms. Kramer sighed. She supposed she was being a little ridiculous here.

"I'll think about it," she smiled. "So makeup. That's all?"

"All I can think of right now. Well, you know me pretty well, Mom. If you think of anything, feel free to buy it. Now, what about you?"

"I want a... a nice romance story..." Ms. Kramer said, her eyes drilling into her daughter's. Jessica was beginning to feel oddly uncomfortable.

"Um, alright, I'll do my best," Jessica answered.

Her mother sighed. Jessica didn't understand what she was getting at.

"So, honey, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, Mom, go ahead. Well, it depends on what it's about," Jessica said, her eyes narrowing with the last sentence.

"Uh, well, I was just curious about something," she twiddled her thumbs. Jessica again was reminded of a child who'd just gotten caught doing something they knew they were not allowed to do. "I was wondering... do you know what Drew is doing for Christmas?"

"Why?! Why do you think I'd know?! It's not like I was thinking about him or anything!" Jessica exploded, her face bright red. Realizing how obtuse she'd sounded, she cleared her throat and looked at the floor. Her mother grinned a sort of half-smile.

"Sure, whatever you say, hon. Anyways, I was just curious because I know that Drew was probably going to be stuck in that big hotel all by himself on Christmas."

Jessica scowled. Yes, she did suppose he'd be alone. It wasn't a secret that he didn't have much of a family and that his life was practically run by his manager. For some reason, she'd never taken that into account.

"And?"

"Oh, I was just a-wondering," Ms. Kramer shrugged, almost rocking back and forth in her seat. "I mean, think about it, Jess. Everyone knows that his father and mother got divorced when he was too young to remember anything. His mother is known as one of Hollywood's biggest... well, she's not one of the nicest people. And his manager probably controls any and everything that has anything to do with his life. I actually feel bad for the kid."

"Yeah, well, at least his dad is still alive."

Ms. Kramer scowled, disappointment plain on her face.

"Jessica, that's a horrible thing to say."

When Jessica looked at her mother questioningly, she sighed. The look on her face explained it all. She missed her husband, too, probably more than she could ever express to anyone, but that was no excuse to put down other people's lives.

"Sweetie, I know you miss him. Trust me, I do, too. But I wouldn't be so quick to judge Drew Hitley. Before you label him a 'conceited jerk-face' for life, take into account the background. Try to understand the pain beneath the surface. I'm sure you can relate to stress caused by family troubles. We both can."

Jessica sighed. Her mother was right... even if she'd never say it aloud.

"Sorry," she mumbled, her speech barely audible.

"So…"

"What now?! Is it about the jerkthrob?"

"He's gonna be all alone in that hotel, hon…"

"Well, too bad! That's none of our business, Mom."

"But we can make it our business."

"Why in the world would we want to do that?"

Ms. Kramer raised her pointer finger to the sky. She looked at her daughter meaningfully.

"It can be our good deed for Christmas, honey. The Lord would be very happy with you, and so would your father."

Jessica gaped at her mother. How dare she pull the 'Lord and Father would be happy with you' card! That should be off-limits!

Jessica nearly gave in, but she didn't give up the fight completely.

"I'll _think_ about it," she said sourly. "So we don't get sent to Hell."

Her mother smiled triumphantly. She started to almost bounce in her chair again.

"Good for you, honey!" she said, hopping out of her chair. "I'm gonna finish laundry and you _think about it_."

Jessica rolled her eyes as her mother skipped out of the room humming. She'd made a promise to her mother that she'd think about it, so that is what she intended to do. Although, if she thought about Drew any more, she was almost sure that her brain was about to explode. She rubbed her temples, grabbed her ice water off of the table, and went into the living room to prepare herself to _think_.

Drew was awoken by a pounding at the door. This was the third morning he'd been woken up in this manner, and he was about to tell his chauffeur a thing or two. He was also in the middle of a really good dream, and he would have done anything not to wake up from it.

Three words: _Jessica. Him. Alone._

After all, it was Saturday, and this was his day to sleep in! He shouldn't have been woken up at--what time was it--12:00 in the afternoon! Alright, so it was a little late, but he was a teenager! Teenagers always sleep in, and since he was Drew Hitley, he deserved to sleep in even longer than a stupid regular teenager. He had a busy, stressful schedule and he needed to make up for all of the sleep he'd lost over the week by sleeping late on weekends!

_Wait, what's my chauffeur's name again? _he thought. _I'll just think of a name off of the top of my head. It's not like it matters._

Out of habit, Drew looked in the mirror of his suite before opening the door. He looked pretty darn handsome--as always!

"Alfred, I swear, if you keep waking me up this early, I will fire you!" he yelled before opening the door.

Drew reached for the knob and twisted it reluctantly. He opened the door. Who was standing there nearly made him have a heart attack. Drew literally clutched his chest and jumped. His eyes grew wide and he self-consciously twiddled with his hair. Drew suddenly felt very much awake. He couldn't find his voice.

"Jessica," he said hoarsely, his breathing becoming very uneven. "Uh, hey. What's up?"

_What's up?_ he thought. _Seriously? That's the best I can do? I'm Drew Hitley, for God's sake! I should be making _her _wonder if she's dreaming!_

There Jessica stood, in a place she never thought she'd be if her life depended on it. She didn't look too happy about having to be there, but for her mom's sake, she actually tried to sound friendly. She also actually dressed for the occasion. Her mother made her wear her nice skinny jeans with her clean black chucks and a nice dark blue sweater. Her hair was naturally waved and she wore some of her mother's mascara. Plus, when Ms. Kramer hadn't been looking, she'd put on some foundation.

"You look… nice," Drew said, trying to get a hold of himself. He told her that she looked nice, although he had a much different word in mind. He was in such shock that _Jessica _actually showed up on _his_ doorstep.

"Uh, thanks," she said uncomfortably, scratching her arms. She bit her bottom lip.

There was a silence for a few minutes as Drew watched her and she stood there, feeling like she'd rather die than be doing this.

"Um," Drew began, scratching the back of his head, "Not trying to sound rude or anything--no, actually, I'm being serious--but why are you here?"

Jessica sighed. She'd been dreading that question.

"Are you, uh," she stuttered, looking at the ground. Even though she was looking down, Drew could still see her blushing. A smile tugged at the right corner of his mouth, "like, well, do you--"

"You're stuttering again," he chuckled.

"Yeah, I know," she mumbled, disgusted with herself. He chuckled again when her cheeks went from pink to crimson. "I'm just not sure how to say this."

"Oh, how hard can it be?"

"Very."

Drew took a step out of his room and closed the door. He stepped closer to her, causing her to take a step back. He realized what he was doing and backed up three steps. She sighed in relief.

"Sorry," he muttered. "So, you wanted to ask me something?"

"Um, yeah," she nodded, looking down at her feet. He had a guess at what she was doing, but he didn't want to say it out loud if it was wrong. It would just make things awkward and ruin the question. His heart rose into his throat as he thought of one word: _date_.

He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his long sweats and waited patiently. He wasn't going to rush this precious moment. He wanted to remember it.

Jessica noticed how patient he was acting and couldn't help but look at him curiously. It was unlike him to be so patient, let alone so quiet. She'd begged the Lord for an off switch for his mouth, and now that he was quiet, she didn't like the silence. It was too dense, too awkward, too--for the lack of a better word--_quiet_.

Jessica sighed and shut her eyes tightly. She was going to say it quickly and get it over with.

"Are you leaving for Christmas?" the words poured out in a rush.

Drew's heart sank. That was not at all the question he'd been hoping for. He should have known. Jessica would never ask him out on a date.

Then all of his thoughts were disrupted by his subconscious. Wait… why in the world was he hoping for a date? Why was he stepping closer to her all of the time without realizing it? No wonder she had called him a pervert!

He pulled out his inner actor and didn't let his disappointment show. Instead, he replaced it with a smirk.

"Why are you asking me that question?" he said smugly, crossing his arms. "Interested?"

"No!" she was quick to defend. "I was just trying to be nice!"

"Right," he said sarcastically. "You came all of the way out here to my hotel, to my room, to just _be nice_?"

She gave him a look that was all too familiar.

"You're being a jerk," she said, staring him down.

For the second time in a minute, Drew's heart sank even lower. He slapped his hand to his forehead.

"Sorry! You're right! Sorry! God, I can't stop doing that!" he shook his head, angry with himself. "You deserve better than that. Sorry."

Jessica grinned at this comment. That was actually… very sweet. And she could tell that it had really been sincere.

"Well, a real jerk wouldn't have realized that I don't deserve that, so don't worry about it," she smiled. He dropped his hand and gave her a sincere grin.

As the blood rose to her cheeks, his grin turned into a full-fledged smile. But it wasn't just any old smile. It was the smile that made Jessica have to hold onto something to keep herself from falling over.

"But on a serious note," Drew continued, his smile not faltering, "why do you want to know if I am leaving for Christmas?"

Jessica leaned back on the wall casually to keep herself from collapsing. She tried to be as casual with everything as she possibly could.

"Well, my mom was talking to me yesterday, and she, uh, said you would probably be up here in the hotel on your own during Christmas."

Drew's eyebrows raised enthusiastically. He liked the direction that the conversation was heading.

"Yes?"

"And, she… thinks… that you probably shouldn't be alone. You know, it being Christmas and all."

"Right."

"And Mom thinks that maybe… if you wanted to… you could," she had trouble with the last bit, "come over and have Christmas with our family."

Drew smiled. He felt his voice leave his throat as his palms started sweating again. He realized something; he really liked Jessica's mom!

"I don't think I can say yes fast enough," Drew laughed, the happy smile returning. Lucky for Jessica, she was being cautious, so she never had left the safety and security of the wall. However, her right knee buckled. She caught herself before Drew had an excuse to condone close personal contact.

His right eyebrow raised as her face turned a darker shade of crimson. She giggled her signature laugh and swept a stray strand of hair out of her face.

"So, uh, you're coming then?"

Half of Jessica was jumping for joy and the other half was screaming to the sky 'why do you hate me?!'

"So I will, uh, see you later then?" Jessica asked, her voice uneven.

Drew continued to smile his weakening smile. It was Jessica's kryptonite.

"You can count on it," Drew winked and clicked his tongue. Jessica was able to hold herself together before Drew turned and went back into his room. As soon as the door closed, she slid down the wall until she was sitting down on the carpet.

_That was not good_, she thought, angry with herself. _That was not good at all. He should not be able to make me weak like that! If he'd stayed out here one more second longer I probably would have lost it right in front of him! Real smooth, Jessica, real smooth._

_**Oh, please, **_the annoying little voice in her head laughed, _**you know you loved it! At least, I did, anyways.**_

_No one asked you!_

_**Alright! Alright! Calm down! Someone is in denial.**_

Jessica sighed. She knew that was right, no matter how much she denied it. Deep, _deep, __**deep**_ down inside, Jessica knew that she was getting feelings. She was angry with herself and she wished desperately that she didn't have them, but she did. She couldn't help it. They were there and there was nothing she could do about it. Drew Hitley had gotten to her.

Deep, _deep, __**deep**_ down underneath all of that insecurity and stubbornness, Jessica Kramer had finally cracked.


	12. Chapter 12

_Hey, everyone! Thnx so much for the support and all of the reviews. I have gotten more than just a few messages and reviews telling me I should think about publishing this, and I really appreciate that! I love how I can be having a bad day, log on, read reviews, and be smiling every time! It would be cool to get this published, I guess. But the problem is I already admitted to basing it off Channy so I would get in trouble for copyright and get trialed and sued by Disney and all of that mess. LOL I am taking it literally! PLEASE KEEP REVIEWING and again, thnx so much for to everyone taking time out of their schedules to read this. It means so much!_

**Jessica walked out of the elevator with her vision blurred. She wasn't crying, she didn't have a bad case of watery eyes, but she did have a bad case of something--confusion. Her mind's thoughts were almost completely shut off, which was something she had been wishing for for quite a long time. But now that silence finally reigned, she wasn't sure that she liked it so much. She had gotten so used to the voices inside of her head arguing, it almost felt wrong that they were gone. Well, technically they weren't gone, they were just both silenced into complete shock. As was she.**

**As she got out of the elevator, the blinding lights of the exquisite lobby nearly blinding her as the doors slid apart. All of the nicely dressed employees went about their business as she tried to walk through the lobby without falling down. She assumed that the granite floor would be hard and cold and that if she fell, it would probably hurt. This made her even more nervous, so she nearly tripped over herself several times. The snarkie employees looked at her in a fearful way, but she ignored them. Jessica was far too much in shock to realize or to even care.**

**She climbed into an awaiting cab outside of the spinning golden doors. She whispered almost unintelligible instructions to the driver, but he nodded anyway and gently stepped on the gas pedal. Jessica gazed unseeingly out of the window while watching the buildings, people, trees, and colors sweep by in a blur. Her thoughts were completely and utterly scrambled. The two voices in her head, for once, shut up and she could swear she heard crickets.**

_**What the hell **__was that?_

For the first time in a while, both sides of her head spoke at once. And the bad part was that they spoke in unison. For the first time, both sides were completely agreeing with other. It was odd--and disturbing. If both voices in her head were agreeing, than that meant trouble. It could not have meant anything good.

Jessica watched as the uncertain shapes faded in and out of each other, colors slurring and blurring and taking on a whole new meaning. It was almost like looking at clouds on a hot summer day. She could glance at one thing and see shapes of many things all at once. This misty distraction was causing her to slip more and more precariously into a part of her mind Jessica had never known she possessed.

It was a blank canvas. A blank _black _canvas. She waited for anything to come, for anything to appear. All anticipation and curiousness had faded away with her trance. She was a sitting carcass, empty and pointless. That's what she felt like now. She was becoming so unaware of herself, she didn't even feel like herself anymore. She didn't feel like _Jessica_.

Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, a picture flashed across the black canvas. It only stayed for a fraction of a second, so she had no idea what it had been an image of. As if in an answer, the image flashed again. This time, it stayed a little longer. With a burst of recognition, she realized it was a smile. And it wasn't just _anyone's _smile. With a wave of horror, she realized who's it was.

Drew.

Why was she thinking about that knee-knocking, body-weakening smile? Why was that image imprinted within her mind? She shouldn't be thinking about him! Especially not like _that_…

She shivered.

Jessica suddenly felt cold. The temperature was perfectly fine inside of the taxi, considering that the heater was on, but she was no longer in the taxi cab. Not mentally, anyway. She was completely absorbed in her thoughts.

Then with another flash, the image changed from a mere smile to an entire face. This time with more lethal weapons included. _The eyes_. They stared her down, but not in an angry or threatening way--which just made matters worse. Why couldn't he have been staring at her menacingly? That would have been so much easier to deal with… and so much easier to look at. No, instead, they were alluring. Fond. Stunned. And worst of all, _loving_.

Jessica shuddered again. She shouldn't be having thoughts like this. She shouldn't have been taken to a remote part of her brain, forced to look at these reoccurring images. This was worse than the voices!

With every single ounce of willpower and self-control, Jessica jolted out of her thoughts back to the cab again. She looked around with panic, searching the automobile to make sure she was in reality and not in a sickening fantasy. She was almost afraid that she would look into the front seat and find a pair of piercing sapphire blue eyes staring back at her in the rearview mirror. Luckily, they were only dull green ones.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" the man asked, slowing the car slightly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she shrugged. "Just… just thinking about something."

"A penny for your thoughts?" the driver asked, speeding up the car again. Gosh, who was this guy? Her mother?! As if he could read her thoughts, he quickly answered her question without hesitation. "Excuse me for not introducing myself properly. Shameful behavior. I am Harry Randoff, but you can just call me Harry if you wish."

Jessica really didn't know what was going on. She was still a little out of it from her startling thoughts, and she didn't know why the man was introducing himself. It wasn't like she'd ever see him again. He wasn't dangerous, was he? No, no, she couldn't come to that conclusion. He was too kindly looking--too fatherly to be a rapist or murderer or kidnapper of some sort.

"Uh, okay," she said, dazed.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Harry apologized, looking from the road to her to the road again. "You are probably wondering why I am telling you this."

Man, this guy could read minds!

"A little," she said uncertainly.

"Once again, I my full apologies. I probably ought to let you in on it," he chuckled warmly. "I am Harry Randoff, official limousine chauffeur for Drew Hitley."

Jessica's attention was immediately captured. He was the official limo driver for _Drew_? She suddenly became very agitated. Just when she'd tried to jump into a cab and finally thought she'd escaped him… he'd followed her from the beginning. Here was his _driver_. Would she ever be able to get away?

"Ah," was all she could say without giving away her temper. She gathered her self-control and managed to seethe through her teeth, "did Drew tell you to come here?"

The answer surprised her.

"Actually, Miss Jessica, he did not. I work as a taxi driver as a second job. Believe it or not, being a limousine driver doesn't pay _extraordinarily_ well, so I am forced to work another job. And," he quickly added, "I promise, he did not request this of me. He'd never have the guts to ask something like that."

"How do you know my name?" she demanded a little harshly. She immediately felt guilty, but it was too late to take back the tone she'd used.

He seemed to take no notice. When he responded, his voice was cool and calm, as if she'd never said anything.

"He talks about you," he shrugged.

Jessica's heart lifted into her throat in surprise.

"Quite a lot, actually," he added significantly, "whether he knows it or not."

"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice sounding weak, even to her.

He chuckled to himself.

"Oh, nothing," he smiled. "I've said too much already. If Mr. Hitley knew that I almost told you the answer, he'd have my head for it. And my job."

Jessica had a question she was dying to ask. Apparently, Harry knew the look all too well.

"Yes?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, excuse me. I just assumed you had something on your mind. Did you want to ask me a question?"

Yep, definitely a mind reader.

Jessica sighed heavily.

"Well, I don't know if it's really appropriate to ask," she began. To her surprise, a smile spread across his face. "What?"

"I'm just not used to being talked to in such a polite manner," he grinned. "It is a nice change to be spoken to like an equal."

Jessica gaped. Of course, she'd known that Drew wouldn't be exactly nice, but she could just tell that this man had been working for Drew for a while now. She'd figure that Drew would have at least _some_ sense of compassion for this man. She'd thought that maybe he was Drew's fatherly figure. Maybe it was his Officer Roulin--his support. But then again, if that was the case, then she assumed that Drew would be much nicer like this kind man. Her hatred of his ego increased (if that was possible).

"Sorry," was all she could say. Then her mind darted back to the question at hand. "Why--? Well… do you know… why he--?"

"Is someone wondering about my master's infatuation with her?" he asked, his eyebrows raising. For some reason unknown to her, he seemed a little pleased. Why was he _pleased_? To her, it was a nightmare.

"Well, I don't know I'd call it _infatua_--"

"I would."

She looked up into the rearview mirror in surprise. He just seemed so sure. Too sure. This just made her feel worse.

"Fine, sure, _infatuation_," she shrugged dubiously. "Shoot."

"Alright. I will 'shoot', as you put it," he laughed to himself. Apparently he was still adjusting to teen slang. Then his voice and face transformed into complete seriousness. It almost frightened her. "Mr. Hitley has been acting in a manner I have never seen before. On him, at least. Sir Drew's usual attitude calls for conceitedness and self-absorption. As I'm sure you well know."

Jessica nodded. She knew all too well what he was talking about.

"He usually blows off anyone who doesn't have any immediate effect in his life. I have always been afraid that maybe that was a trait he inherited from his mother. But the thing is, I've always felt like he's had a chance. That he is just a horrible confused child who can only find comfort in the confusing ways of Hollywood drama. I--especially lately--have been trying to make that self-aware, self-independent side of Drew come out that I have always suspected was there.

"Lately, before Mr. Hitley came to attend school here in Washington, I was getting worried. His ego had grown 50 times since when I had started driving him, and he was getting too much of a big head. When he became even more popular and more people were flooding into his fan base, I thought that all hope was lost. When Master Drew finally slipped up and a bad piece of press was published about him, his manager forced Drew to come attend school here as an act of damage control."

So, that explained why a celebrity showed up at the school for no reason. When actually, there had been a reason.

"At first, I thought it was a good idea," he explained. "But as I pulled into the school that first day, all of my hopes came crumbling down. A huge of crowd of girls--and even boys--had gathered to come praise him like the god he thought he was. It was so sad. Every single day, I had to just stand there, watching the good in him slip away. And the worst part was, I couldn't do anything about it. I was helpless. Completely powerless. I was… I was in so much pain. Over time, you see, I'd come to grow fond of the boy, although I doubt the situation is the same vice versa. He is like a son to me. Of course, I could never tell him that."

The sadness in his eyes was almost unbearable to Jessica.

"I knew that the time was drawing near where he would be out of any reach of help. It was heart wrenching, having to watch it take effect slowly. But then it suddenly stopped."

This sudden statement took Jessica by surprise. Before she had time to think through the obvious answer, she asked the fatal question anyway.

"Really? Why?"

"You."

The answer was so obvious, she should have seen it coming. With a ping of annoyance, she discovered that her life was becoming more and more like a soap opera every day.

"Yeah, well, I really doubt he changed that much."

"Oh, trust me, he has. He is already more considerate than he has been in years!" the excitement on his face made it hard to look at him. She didn't want to feel guilty.

"How come you are the only one who really sees the changes, then?" Jessica asked questioningly. "He hasn't been so kind as to share this new attitude around me."

"Of course he won't show it around you," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "He's in denial whenever he sees you or talks about you, Miss. He refuses to accept the fact that everyone knows is true. See, even _you_ are not quite so stubborn about the idea. Sure, you aren't embracing it, but at least you accept that it's there. Master Hitley, on the other hand, refuses to think that way. Or he refuses to _admit_ that he thinks that way."

She was feeling very odd at the moment. She didn't know why she wasn't more upset than she was. Why in heaven's name did she feel comfortable talking about her love life with an almost-total stranger? The odd thing was, she didn't. She felt very much obligated and comfortable with talking to this Harry Randoff. Was it so normal to feel so… _natural_ talking about your personal life to someone you've just met.

Well, she knew one thing. And that was that she knew that Harry wouldn't go tell the world about the very private conversation they were having in this old taxi cab. One thing she knew for sure was that he could keep a secret.

Harry noticed her silence.

"You know, Miss Jessica, I completely understand if you do not feel comfortable talking to me about the subject. It is a little personal, I suppose. I apologize for the apparent intrusion. I just needed someone to talk to that would understand me a little better than Master Hitley does."

Alright, maybe he wasn't so much of a mind reader. Jessica let the guilt get to her.

"No, no! No! Don't worry about it, Mr. Randoff. It's perfectly fine. Actually, it is kind of nice to hear some reasoning behind the story."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Oh, you know, I like having someone to talk to, also, I guess. I know that I don't really know you that well, but I have a feeling that that shouldn't matter. You seem to be the only one around who actually _kind of_ understands my thinking. Everyone else seems to think there is 'something' going on."

"Well, I don't mean to offend here, but isn't there?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Isn't there something going on? I mean, I know--_we_ know--that Master Drew is infatuated at the very idea of you. I see--_we _see--the special sparkle in his eye he gets when he looks at you. Have you no feelings of the same extent?"

Jessica started laughing. Harry easily noticed the insecurity and the forcefulness behind the seemingly harmless giggle.

"What? Wha--Harry, I thought you understood my thinking on the subject! I do not have those feelings for Drew. Please, me and Drew? Can you _really_ see that?" she managed between boisterous laughs. "I can't see that! Can you see that? I can't see that! Pfft, I have no feelings _whatsoever_ for that shallow jerk!"

"But that's just it, Miss Jessica. Do you not see? The more time he spends with you, the more the effects of Hollywood seem to fade. If you are patient and subside, then in not too long, Drew will no longer be shallow or self-absorbed."

"What do you mean _subside_? Subside to what?"

"Your feelings, of course."

"I don't have any feelings to subside to!"

"Really, do you? I'm sorry for being a pest, but was it not Drew you were just thinking about when you climbed into my cab?"

"Is should have a taken another taxi."

"No, no. I'm glad you didn't. We seem to really be working out some issues here."

Jessica chuckled to herself.

"Is there any chance that you were a therapist at some point?" she asked. He responded with a thoughtful grin.

"No, no, not a therapist at any point. However, I'll contemplate that possibility. I suppose I could be a therapist."

"And a not half-bad one, either."

"Thank you. I appreciate that. But as a maybe-future therapist, I have to tell you to stop avoiding the question. Was it not Mr. Hitley you were thinking about a couple of minutes ago?"

Jessica sighed. She knew he already knew the answer. What was the use of denying it?

"Yes," she groaned. "But it didn't mean anything! I was just thinking about his 'infatuation' with me. It's kind of… I don't know. Creeping me out."

"And it's making you think about him _a lot_ more."

"Maybe. Is there any chance you were a physic at some point, either?"

"No, it's just me inner therapist. And stop avoiding the questions you don't want to answer, Miss Kramer. You need to be more in touch with yourself so you will be more sure of what to do about the situation."

This sounded like total gibberish.

"What?"

"You asked him to come over for Christmas, did you not?"

"Well, yeah, but--wait, how did you know that?!"

"I make sure I stay updated on the situation," he shrugged lightly.

"Now _that_ is kind of creepy."

"Well, at least I openly admit it. Unlike _some_ people."

She scowled. The old man was good at comebacks, too. Totally unfair.

"Miss Jessica," he said, his tone softer, "it won't hurt to just say it aloud. Even though you don't want to, you discovering you have feelings, too. Even if they are deep down."

Jessica squirmed uncomfortably in her seat.

"I won't say anything that isn't true," she said stubbornly, crossing her arms.

Harry the limo driver sighed. He said something under his breath that sounded like, _find out soon enough_.

What was that supposed to mean? But when she thought about it, she really didn't want to know. A flash of familiar scenery seemed to push Jessica back into reality.

"We're here," Harry said absentmindedly, pulling the car to a halt. "Have a good day, and a _good Christmas_, Miss Jessica."

She rolled her eyes but couldn't bring herself to be sarcastic.

"You too," she said, pulling out a ten dollar bill from her pocket and placing it in the cup holder near him.

"Oh, no," he shook his head. "No tips."

"But you drove me! I need to pay you!" she objected, climbing out of the car.

"No, no, you've done enough for me already as it is," he smiled. "I swear, Miss, you are the exact dose of reality he needed."

Jessica didn't say anything as she waved goodbye wearily and walked into her house. Now she had even _more_ on her mind. Would it ever stop? The answer was no, it wouldn't.


	13. Chapter 13

**Yo, peeps! I am getting more support now than ever right now, and for probably for the 2,000,000 time, THANK YOU! About the publishing thing, its just that I have already ADMITTED on here that it's based off of them. For THE MOST PART, Jessica and Drew are just like their characters I am basing them off of. Drew is supposed to look just like Chad and Jessica is supposed to look just like Sonny. They could get on fan fiction and see where I admitted it was based on them then I could get in trouble for it probably. However, for those of you who are still insisting that it's no danger, I will continue to write and will probably put another romance out there at some point.**

**Anyways, here is chapter 13, lovelies! Don't forget to review and tell ur buddies!**

As Jessica walked quickly into her house to escape the freezing air, she discovered that her mother was waiting patiently by the door. However, Ms. Kramer quickly turned to the mirror as an excuse and started fluffing her hair. Jessica huffed.

"Mom, if you want to ask me how it went, just ask."

"Okay, okay, okay, how did it go? Did he say yes? Is Drew Hitley coming over for Christmas? What happened? Tell me all of the deets! Did he seem excited? Were you excited? I know there is more going on than you're telling me, Jess!"

"Relax, Mom, yeesh! You have to give me a chance to say something first!"

"Sorry, sorry, my fault. I need to calm down for a sec first," she breathed, swinging her arms back and forth. "Okay. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Alright, I think I'm good now."

"Okay, Mom."

Silence.

"Well, spill a little!"

"Mom," Jessica rolled her eyes, "there's nothing to spill."

"Of course there is! I could tell by the look on your face when you came in here."

"What look? I don't look funny! Do I look funny?" Jessica demanded, turning to the mirror. She pressed her cheeks lightly as her eyes darted to every area of her face, looking for a flaw that betrayed her.

"See, that's it. Right there," Her mother smiled triumphantly. "That's my proof. You darted to the mirror."

"I didn't _dart _to the mirror! I walked there hastily and with purpose!" she replied haughtily.

"Well, you walked there 'hastily and with purpose' very crazily, I might add."

"You may not add!"

"Honey, just tell me what happened," Ms. Kramer said soothingly. "It's not like I'm going to laugh at you."

"Fine. I will. But wipe that smirk off your face," Jessica commented.

Her mother nodded and her face turned serene.

"Well," Jessica began hesitantly, "I think that you _might _laugh at me. I acted like a complete idiot. It was all fine and then it started getting awkward… and yeah."

"Why did it get all awkward?"

"Uh," Jessica hesitated, remembering that her mother was clueless. She had no idea that Drew was falling in love with her. "He… uh… I think I woke Drew up. So, he was out of it half of the time and just stared--he was tired." Well, it was partly true.

"Oh. Well, what did Mr. Heartthrob say?"

"What did Mr. Jerkthrob say? He said that he'd be here."

Ms. Kramer's face lit up with enthusiasm and excitement. Her laugh lines were clearly visible.

"Oh, that's great! This is so exciting! Jessica, we are going to have a _celebrity_ come over for Christmas! Oh, I wonder what I should cook… I know! Well, never mind, I suck at those. Oh oh oh! We could get a _big_ turkey and baste it before we smoke it! Oh, that would be delicious _and_ healthy! Yeah, I heard the whole health-kick diet thing is really big in Hollywood right now."

"Mom, we are still having Aunt Mel, Uncle Jerry, Papaw, and cousin Kolby over. Don't forget them. You know how much all of them can eat. Plus, don't forget the banana pudding. Kolby and Jerry get _really_ upset if you forget those. Remember that one year--?"

"Yes, yes, enough said. Don't worry, I won't. Oh, they will all be so excited that we are having _Drew Hitley_ gracing us this holiday," her mother exclaimed.

"Mom, don't let him know how 'graced' we are. It will make his ego so big he won't be able to fit through the door."

"Right. Sorry. But he isn't going to get jealous if Kolby starts hitting on you again, is he?" Ms. Kramer asked cautiously.

Jessica rolled her eyes, "let's hope not. I can't believe just because Kolby is my step cousin he thinks that he can flirt with me every time they come. I mean, I love him, but not _that_ way. He's fifteen. When is he gonna get it through his head that I'm too old for him right now?"

"Aw, Jess, I think it's kind of cute!"

"Aw, Mom, I think it's kind of creepy! He tried to hold my hand two years ago, and last year he wanted _lots_ of hugs. And I think he was trying to do more than hug me…"

"Okay, okay, point taken. I'll talk to Aunt Mel. But please, hon, just remember, _be nice_."

"Fine, fine, I will. I'm going up to my room."

"Okay! Be in bed by 11:00!"

Jessica waved her mother off and stomped up the stairs. She sighed and rubbed her temples. She needed to stop thinking about Drew Hitley… she needed to stop thinking about Drew Hitley.

But nevertheless, she couldn't get what Harry had said out of her head. _I swear, Miss, you are the dose of reality that he needed_, he had said. But please! Just because _she _might be good for _him_ doesn't necessarily mean that _he_ was good for _her_. Right? Right? She desperately yearned for someone to talk to that would be on her side. Everyone she ever talked to always jumped to ridiculous conclusions that could never happen--_would _never happen. She had been trying to make sure of that.

The countless faces circled in her mind: _Ms. Warren, her mother, Harry Randoff, _and maybe even _Drew_ himself. They all thought one thing, and that was that there was something going on. Sure, Drew liked _her_, but everyone thought that automatically meant that she liked him, too.

And the most pitiful part of all? Jessica couldn't even agree with herself! Half of her mind was against her just like everyone else. Even _she _wasn't on her side!

She needed a distraction… she needed something that would completely throw off her train of thought. She'd discovered one thing about herself, and that was that the more she thought about Drew, the worse things became. She needed desperately to think of something else coming up. Perhaps her little dilemma would slowly fade away if she were to absorb herself--even temporarily--in something.

Jessica rushed into her room and quickly grabbed her laptop. She went on _Google _and searched 'Washington-current events'. Results poured across the page as her eyes searched hungrily for a reason to get her mind off of the heartthrob. Her eyes rested placidly on the words _Holiday's Annual Carnival_.

"Hello there," she grinned, double clicking with the touch pad. "What do we have here?"

The homepage for _Holiday's Annual Carnival _slowly loaded on the computer screen. Well, it was finished loading in about ten seconds, but it felt extremely slow to her. She beat her fists impatiently against the mattress as everything pulled up.

**Holiday's Annual Carnival**

**Come to Washington's Annual Holiday Carnival! The large event hosts fun activities for the entire family! Games, mimes, rides, pony and horse rides, water balloon fights, hilarious clowns, delicious food, and even dancing! This fun event is for all ages! During the last couple of years, we have had a breath-taking total of 8,000 attendees! This fantastic annual carnival's dates and times are December 7****th****-9****th****. This event begins at 6:00 PM and ends at 11:00 PM! We hope you will attend and have the time of your life!**

_**All children under the age of 17 should be accompanied by an adult; carnival rules.**_

**Tickets are only **_**$4.00 for children **_**and **_**$6.00 for adults**_**! Make it if you can! It is guaranteed you will have the best time of your life. If your visit is less than satisfactory, we will give you a full refund! Don't forget to stop by and have the full carnival experience! Come to the **_**Holiday's Annual Carnival **__**this year!**_

Jessica grinned to herself. Perhaps she could indulge herself within the childish holiday joy of this Christmas carnival and forget about this pressing problem that was Drew Hitley.

Wait… wasn't December 7th pretty soon? What day was it? Jessica scrolled her mouse down to the time on her laptop's screen and the date popped up. It said _December 7__th__, 2009_. Today was the day of the holiday carnival! What was she to do? She couldn't just go on her own--that would look completely strange. And she definitely couldn't go with her _mother_! She'd never be able to live that down. Maybe she would just stay home and watch a movie… no, then her mind would too easily drift into the hated realm she was trying to escape!

_Okay, okay, I'm just gonna… uh… read a book! _she thought desperately. _Yeah, yeah, that's it! It's hard for your mind to wander when you're reading a book… most of the time. I'm going to read… uh… Twilight! Yeah, that's popular! Twilight is one of my favorite books anyway, so _please _work!_

Jessica grabbed the dark book off of her shelf and opened it with unnecessary force. Her eyes scanned the page unseeingly. However, she did drift into an uncomfortably deep sleep…

Drew took a deep breath and lifted his fist a few inches away from the green-painted wooden door. He was chickening out. He was a completely spineless chicken. What was wrong with him? He was Drew Hitley, for god's sake! He should have more confidence, more boldness! But instead, his palms were starting to sweat more than a nerd in a turtle neck on a hot summer's day. However, before his fist could come in contact with the door, it swung open immediately. There stood a woman with dark, thin hair and a bony structure. Her face was traced by almost-forgotten laugh lines.

"Uh, hi," Drew smiled uncertainly, confused. "I was looking for the Kramer's house, but I think I may have the wrong place, so…"

"Oh, no, no!" the woman said hyperly. "Oh, no you don't! No you have the right house! I--"

"Must be Jessica's mom," Drew said, shaking her hand with unnecessary force. "Sorry, but I just kind of expected Jessica to answer the door, I guess."

"Don't worry about it," she shrugged. "Now, come in! Come in! It's freezing outside and that jacket you are wearing doesn't look very warm. Take a seat, make yourself comfortable! I'll go get Jessica. She's--"

"No, actually, before you do that, I wanted to ask you something."

"Sure, sweetie! Go ahead!"

"Um, thanks." Drew shifted in the almost too-cushy chair he had recently settled into. "I was… uh… wondering something. I don't know if you'd really want to hear it, you know, considering I just met you. But…"

"Don't hesitate! It's cool! Just relax and ask away."

"Uh, thanks. Again. Okay, so Jessica told me that it was your idea to have me over for Christmas, was it not?" Drew asked.

"Right, it was my idea," she nodded enthusiastically.

"I'm… well, I don't exactly know how…" he looked at Ms. Kramer, desperate that she would understand what he was trying to condone without him having to say it aloud. When she continued to wait expectantly, he continued to speak with a sigh. "I've never really… had… you know, this type of, uh, thing before."

"Thing?"

"Yeah. Well, not a thing," Drew stuttered, "but this type of gathering type thing before."

"Are you saying that you've never had a traditional Christmas with your family?" Ms. Kramer asked, her voice full of sympathy. She looked at Drew like he was a lost puppy.

"Sure," he shrugged, keeping his eyes on the floor. "I just thought I'd… um… say _thanks_." Drew had trouble with the last word. He was used to people thanking him, not the other way around. People usually just thanked him repeatedly for being alive--since he was, well, _him_--but this was a big step for him. But then again, everything was turned backwards and upside down since Jessica had come into his life.

"Aw!" she draped her hand across her chest. "Of course! Anytime. Oh, Drew, you know that if you need anything, all you have to do is ask me. You can think of me as… your second mother."

Drew raised his eyebrows in surprise. He'd only just met the woman and she was already offering to be a parental figure. Well… she was certainly straight forward, that was for sure.

"Um, okay," he said, trying to sound sincere. It really was nice, but he was a little shocked. She certainly was eager to strike up a relationship. It wasn't like he was ever going to be around any more to ask questions. But when he thought about his absence from the place--from Jessica--he got an unfamiliar and uncomfortable jolt of feeling in his stomach. He discovered that he didn't like that thought. Not at all.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, why are you here?" Ms. Kramer asked curiously.

"I, uh, am actually here to see Jessica," he answered, popping his jacket collar. "I'm sure she'll be thrilled to see me. I mean, who wouldn't?"

An amused and somewhat knowing smile spread across Jessica's mother's face, emphasizing the deeply carved laugh lines.

"Alright, then, let me wake her up," she answered, turning to go upstairs.

"Oh, she's sleeping?" Drew asked, feeling a little guilty--that would be a first. "I didn't know…"

"Don't worry about it," Ms. Kramer dismissed. "It's about time she woke up. She's been taking a three hour nap!"

Drew received a strong urge to follow her upstairs and simply watch. He found the thought of her sleeping fascinating. Just thinking about it…

Her thick dark hair strewn across the pillow like seaweed, her full lips separated in a perfect 'O', her tossing and turning, her body twisting until she was comfortable. He was almost completely absorbed by this thought… he wondered if she talked in her sleep…

He wondered if she talked about _him_. Somehow he thought he'd get a thrill out of that.

Wait, no! No he wouldn't! Why was he thinking like that?! He sighed to himself. She had been on his mind lately more than ever, and he was starting to _constantly _have thoughts along these lines. And the worst part was, he had started to let himself think that way without scolding himself. It had become a habit. He was addicted to her, it was as simple as that. He wanted to see her sleep… he'd bet that she looked so beautiful. But, regrettably, he knew he couldn't. One word: _creepy_.

"Okay," was all Drew could say as he settled more into the chair. The soft red almost made _him_ sleepy.

With a nod, Ms. Kramer turned around and stepped up the stairs. She grinned a humongous grin once she was turned around and out of Drew's line of sight. God, this was even better than she'd expected. The distant look on his face showed that he was clearly nervous, and what was he here to ask her daughter, anyway? Maybe he had finally worked up the nerve to ask her on a date! She wasn't completely sure, but she was going to find out soon enough.

Jessica's mother opened her daughter's bedroom door quietly and tiptoed across the room. She reached out and shook her daughter softly.

"Sweetie," she whispered, shaking her shoulder, "you need to wake up. Someone is here to see you."

"Mmm!" Jessica groaned, turning her back to her mother and pulling her covers tightly over herself. She shut her eyes even tighter.

"Jess," Ms. Kramer repeated, this time much more sternly, "get up. You have someone downstairs to see you and it's rude to keep them waiting!"

"Go away," Jessica managed to mutter, barely audible.

Ms. Kramer sighed and ran her hand through her thin hair. Jessica was always so hard to wake up! That was the entire reason she'd gotten an alarm clock for her daughter. Jessica never woke up in the morning anyway, and if she was late for school, she'd get in trouble big time. Her mother had been smart enough to buy her an alarm clock so Jessica could only accept that it was her fault that she was late. She put her hands on her hips and huffed. She didn't want to do this--and Jessica would probably kill her later--but she had no choice.

"Drew," Ms. Kramer smiled once she was at the bottom of the staircase, "I'm having some trouble getting Jessica up. I know this will probably sound weird, but do you mind taking a crack at it? You know how stubborn she is."

Yes, he of all people knew how stubborn she really was.

"You mean--?"

"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to if you don't want to. I just thought you might… surprise her."

A devious smile crept across Drew's face. He chuckled to himself and rubbed his palms together.

"No, no, it's fine. I'd be honored," he said eagerly. Ms. Kramer laughed in response and led him up the stairs. Jessica would be furious beyond explanation with her, but she'd cross that bridge when she got there. Jessica simply just brought it upon herself. That's what she got for not getting up when her mother was trying to save her from the other alternative.

"She's in there," Ms. Kramer whispered, pointing to a door on the right end of the upstairs hallway. "Try not to scare her too much. I am gonna get an earful anyway, but try to make her go easy on me."

"Got it," Drew replied, not taking his eyes off of the door. Then he turned to her. "Sorry, but would you mind going outside and telling my chauffeur that I might be a while? I have a feeling I might need to talk to Jessica for a little bit before she's convinced."

Jessica's mother raised her eyebrows questioningly but didn't say anything. She left it at that. She nodded with a smile and went downstairs to alert the chauffeur.

"Good luck," Ms. Kramer said to herself, shaking her head.

_Here you go, man, _Drew thought to himself. _Why so nervous? You're just walking into her room to wake her up… and talk to her. In her bedroom._

Drew drew in a shaky breath and sighed. His sweaty palms reached for the doorknob and he turned it slowly. He felt like he was in a horror movie--at the part where the unsuspecting victim turns the doorknob to the closet. They didn't make it to the sequel.

The door squeaked slightly as he opened it enough to let himself in. He froze and his grip involuntarily tightened around the knob.

"Mom," Jessica said groggily, "go away!"

Drew chuckled, unable to stop himself. She was even stubborn when she was unconscious! The right corner of his mouth pulled into a sort of crooked smile. His eyes rested on the bed where a sleeping Jessica lied.

Just like he had fantasized--much to his displeasure--her thick dark hair was all over the place, her mouth was slightly open, and her body was twisted under the pale blue blankets. He let out a quiet sigh of admiration. The only person he could think of that would look that good sleeping was, well, _him_. Drew shuffled silently across the room and stopped at the edge of her mattress. He reached his hand out hesitantly but decided against it last minute. Instead, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and leaned his head down until it was only inches from Jessica's.

"Jessica," he breathed, his voice as smooth as silk, "wake up."

She groaned in protest, turning her back towards him stubbornly. He laughed quietly.

"Come on, Kramer," he said more loudly, every syllable full of smug demeanor, "you need to get up! Don't make me _make you_."

Jessica didn't open her eyes, but her eyebrows pushed together. She scowled in her sleep uncertainly.

"No way," she said gruffly, her head turning in his direction. "Mom, stop kidding around. Just 'cause you sound like Drew doesn't mean that I'm gonna get up."

Drew laughed again, this time not bothering to keep it quiet.

"Sorry to break it to you, Jessica, but I'm not your mom. The actual Drew Hitley here, the one and only."

"Drew?" Jessica asked sleepily. "Nuh uh, my mom wouldn't let you in."

"Are you so sure about that?" Drew asked alluringly.

There was silence for a couple of seconds, then there was the exact opposite. Jessica's eyes popped open in utter horror.

"Drew?!" she exclaimed, jumping. She nearly hit foreheads with him. She sunk into her mattress, trying to get farther away from his face. He just chuckled, wearing a crooked smile. "Wha--?!"

"Your mom couldn't get you up, so, like everyone, she had to turn to me for help," he cut her off, explaining. He raised his eyebrows with a seductive smile. "You happy to see me?"

"No!" she exclaimed, her voice sounding odd since she'd just woken up. "She let you in my room?! While I was _sleeping_? God, I'm going to kill her!"

"Cut her a break," he shrugged, still grinning, "it's not her fault you're incredibly stubborn."

Jessica's lips pursed into a thin line as her eyes glared at him incredulously.

"You have got some nerve," she whispered angrily.

Drew shrugged.

"Yeah, yeah, I've got some nerve," he said dismissively, "right, right, right. I've heard it a thousand times, and a _million _times from you. When are you gonna realize it doesn't do anything but make me laugh?"

As if to make matters worse--for Jessica, anyway--he sat down on her bed as closely to her as he possibly could without sitting on her feet.

"I'm gonna keep telling you until it finally gets through that thick skull of yours!" she flared. "Who knew that someone's head could be so thick yet so shallow all at the same time?"

To her dismay, Drew just sat there and watched her expectantly, as if saying 'are you done yet?'

"Very funny," he rolled his eyes, "but a comment like that sounds like something I'd say, not something I'd expect to come out of _your _mouth. You aren't being very nice to your Christmas guest."

"My Christmas gu--oh my gosh!" she was almost shaking with fury. "Out! Out! Get out of my room!"

"Jessica--"

"_Get out _before I kick you out myself!"

"Is that a threat or a promise?"

"_Drew_," she said dangerously. He was actually a little frightened of her sudden violent behavior, so he scooted away from her but stayed planted firmly on her bed. She sighed exasperatedly. "And you call me stubborn," Jessica rolled her eyes. He relaxed a little bit at her slightly calmer tone.

"Well, I didn't used to be so hard-headed until I met you," he said lightly.

"My luck. Well, anyway, Jerkthrob, what are you doing here?" Jessica crossed her arms.

Drew suddenly went from smug and triumphant to rigid and nervous.

"What? What am I doing here?"

"Uh, yeah."

"I, uh, came to… talk to you."

Jessica dropped her sarcastic tone immediately when she noticed how small his voice had become. He suddenly became very interested in a piece of lent on her carpet.

"Okay, you drove all the way out to my house to talk to me?"

"Well, technically, my chauffeur drove me… but yeah." Drew decided to stop talking about his limo when Jessica began to glare.

"Okay, shoot," Jessica said encouragingly. She didn't know why, but she was hearing those two fateful words her mother had told her earlier that day: _be nice_.

Drew looked up with an unfamiliar grin. Jessica's hands shot up to her hair, searching for any stray pieces or clumps that would cause him to smile like that. No, no, her hair felt fine. Silky, actually. That would be a first.

"Your hair looks fine," he assured her, still smiling. He laughed to himself and shook his head. "I just… um… had a crazy idea. But I don't know what I was thinking. It was stupid."

"No, no, tell me," Jessica said instinctively before she could stop herself. She instantly regretted the eager tone she had used. Drew looked up hopefully at her with his sapphire blue eyes.

"I was just wondering… if maybe… you'd want to do something… tonight. If you wanted to."

When Jessica's chin dropped, he backtracked.

"No, no, not as a, uh, _date_," he said quickly. "No, no, no. No. More of a payback for, um, inviting me over for Christmas."

"Oh," Jessica nodded, blushing furiously, "yeah, yeah. I knew that. Totally knew that."

Drew chuckled and watched her fondly.

"Sure you did," he smiled. "So?"

"Well, where did you want to go?"

"I wasn't sure," Drew said, his face lighting up. "I hadn't thought that far because I thought you'd say no right away."

Jessica felt a twinge of guilt.

"Well," she began, twiddling her thumbs, "I know about this carnival that the town is holding tonight and tomorrow night. Would you maybe wanna go?"

Drew was about to snort at the thought of even stepping foot in a dirty, unsanitary, freak-filled gathering, but stopped himself when he saw the childlike glint in Jessica's eyes.

"Sure, yeah," he said quietly. "Wherever you want to go."

She grinned, her white teeth sparkling to the naked eye. A mental alarm sounded in his mind and he quickly looked away.

Jessica laughed as his cheeks seemed to change color.

"Of course," he added snootily, "as long as it's not McDonald's or Burger King or some place with flies and a ball pit."

Jessica rolled her eyes and assured him she had no intention of going to Burger King. With a happy smile that made Jessica turn crimson, Drew strutted proudly out of the room so she could change clothes.

_Score!_ he thought haughtily.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey, guys! Thanks for reading! I really appreciate all of the nice reviews, and if you have any ideas you can PM me or leave a review! I love it when you guys reviews bcz it really does inspire me to keep writing when I know u r following along. BTW; Can anyone answer this question? Is it possible to extend the time your story is posted (60 days) to a longer time? When your chapters start going away, do you just repost them or…?**

**k, sorry, I will stop blabbing now. Here is Chapter 14! It's gonna be intense!**

Drew stepped gracefully down the staircase while a flushing Jessica changed clothes upstairs in her room. He was so proud of himself; mostly just for having the raw nerve to even ask her. He could still remember the way her face turned pink when she'd thought it was a date. A _date_. Pffft, please, like he'd ask _her_ on a date. He was Drew Hitley! He dated actresses and pop stars, not _normal, plain girls _from _Washington_. That was simply absurd! But nothing says he couldn't try something new… he was Drew Hitley after all--he had an open mind.

He stepped off of the last step and headed towards the familiar cushy red chair he had grown to like. He'd wait on her to get ready. He'd be surprised if she was down within thirty minutes because girls always got nervous and overdid it when it came to dates with The Drew. How could they not? He was handsome, famous, rich, and had connections everywhere. He was a wanted man. It was impossible to not feel inferior around him! However, Jessica seemed to be doing just fine. This nagged him constantly.

"I cannot believe this," Jessica muttered to herself after she knew Drew was safely downstairs. "How could my mom do this to me? How could she _let him in my room_? I knew I shouldn't have told him where I lived. Now he not only knows that, but he knows where my bedroom is! Oh, this is fantastic."

She groggily rose from her bed and ran her hand through her thick dark hair. She sighed and walked over to her dresser drawers. She'd probably ought to dress in something a little nicer and easy to move around in. She opened her bottom drawer and pulled out a pair of dark skinny jeans and then took a light red sweater out from her top drawer that fit her nicely. She went over to her closet, leaned down, and took a pair of clean navy blue chucks out. She looked over her outfit and nodded in satisfaction. It would have to be good enough. It wasn't like she planned on spending twenty minutes anticipating an outfit for _Drew Hitley_. Like she'd waste time doing that when she could be doing better things with her time--like cleaning a toilet!

She got dressed and went to the bathroom to brush out her surprisingly silky hair and put on mascara. She snuck to her mother's bathroom quietly and applied some of Ms. Kramer's foundation. Thank goodness they had the same skin color. She also put on some dark brown eye shadow and applied a small amount of blush. She looked at her reflection with wary eyes. She wasn't used to looking like this… but she had to admit, she liked it. It wasn't so bad. But something was missing… lip-gloss! She took a natural-looking pink color and applied it to her full lips until they shined.

She drew in a deep breath and sighed. She couldn't believe she had said yes to this. She was regretting this decision more and more with each passing second. She wanted to say no… oh, how much she had wanted to say no… but she couldn't bring herself to say it. The look on his face had been too hopeful, too pleading, too honest. After all, he had said that it _was not_ a date, but she knew that it meant about the same thing to him. She just wished that she could set the record straight without hurting his feelings. She refused to stoop to his level. She cut her own thoughts short and shook her head. She needed to stop thinking about everything too much and making it harder than they had to be. She could _try _to be nice, and she could _attempt_ to have fun, but that dark cloud of caution was always going to be there. Always.

"Oh, is she ready yet?" Ms. Kramer asked, more to herself than to Drew. They were sitting in seats across from each other in the living room, waiting for Jessica to finish getting ready. Her mother twisted her fingers together nervously, refusing to look away from the staircase for more than a couple of seconds. She was sad enough to admit that she was looking at it, more alert than Drew probably was himself.

Drew shrugged, "let her take her time. Surprisingly, I'm in no hurry. I am actually free tonight. Wow, that would be a first for me."

Ms. Kramer continued to stare at him with a mixture of compassion and sympathy.

"Really? You've never had a free night before?" she asked, the tone that only a mother could possess taking over her voice.

Drew's brows pulled together.

"It's no big deal," he said casually.

"Of course it is! You've never had free night to do what _you _wanted to do? That's horrible! You're missing out on part of being a teenager."

"Well, I'm fabulously famous," he said, as if it made up for everything. Which in his mind, it probably did. Ms. Kramer shook her head.

"But being a normal teenager is so much fun! And when you're a teen, you get to experience things that will influence you for the rest of your life. The trouble you get into can help you make more responsible decisions in the future."

Drew raised his eyebrows, as if saying 'and your point is?'

"These things help you learn to support yourself when you become an adult," she explained. "You can't expect to know what to do if everyone gives you everything you want. You have to know how to take yourself seriously and responsibly."

Drew scowled. He was suddenly reminded of the pessimistic article that was published about him. It said the exact same thing. He was seventeen, after all. He was graduating in a little over a year. What was he going to do? It wasn't like he was planning to go to college… that had never been the plan. He was planning to be an actor his entire life. But what if that didn't work out? What if all he had on a resume was that he had a complete high school education? People worked with that… but his grades weren't very good and what was the best job he could receive? Busting tables in McDonalds?

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before," he said dismissively. However, he was a little more polite with Jessica's mother. He felt like he needed her approval for some strange reason. He wanted to get on the mother's good side--if he wasn't already. "I guess I kind of see where you're coming from, but I'm a wanted guy. Directors practically beg at my feet for me to participate in their movies."

"I understand," Ms. Kramer nodded, "but you might want to have a backup plan. Just in case."

Drew bit his lip and just nodded. He didn't want to argue with her, even though he strongly disagreed. He'd always be famous. He'd always be sought after. Right?

Ms. Kramer nodded, seeing that the conversation wasn't going to go anywhere.

"I'll go upstairs and see how she's coming along," she said, desperate to shy away from the awkward silence. She only wanted to talk with him when she had something to say, which was most of the time. But now that she'd told him what she'd intended to, the silence was deafening.

Jessica's mother jumped out of her chair hastily and climbed up the stairs, anxious to see what was taking so long. Why was she leaving her down there all alone with Drew Hitley? She didn't know what to say to the guy who had a crush on her daughter, let alone the fact that he didn't really know it yet. Despite the fact she wanted to just yell out to both of them, 'YOU TWO ARE MEANT TO BE TOGETHER! JUST ADMIT IT AND GET ON WITH YOUR LIFE!', she felt like she should let them discover it on their own. She knew from experience that these things could not be rushed or pushed.

"Jessica," Ms. Kramer began, walking into her room slowly, "I think you need to--"

She was stopped short.

There Jessica stood, looking so much different than anyone had ever expected her to look. Jessica turned around in surprise, cursing under her breath. She was hoping that her mother wouldn't notice the makeup until she was downstairs in front of Drew. If she was in front of someone, her mother would have been least likely to say anything. Now she was in for it… Ms. Kramer would go hysteric and force her to go to the bathroom and take it all off.

"Mom!" Jessica exclaimed, clutching her chest, "don't scare me like that!"

"Honey--"

"Mom, please! I'm barely wearing any makeup, and the makeup I am wearing isn't heavy. I just wanted to try it out, and I was having a good hair day. Please, don't make me go take it off!"

"Jess--"

"Yeah, yeah, I know what you think about it. I know you believe that's it is superficial and that people my age shouldn't have to wear it to make themselves feel good. I know you tell me that I am beautiful just the way I am, and I realize that. But please, just once! I just wanted to try and all I am doing is enhancing the features I already have. Is that _so_ wrong?

"Jessica!" her mother finally got a word in. "Relax! Let me talk! I was going to say that you look amazing."

"Oh, please, don't even try to--wait, what?"

Ms. Kramer walked across the room towards her daughter and placed a hand gingerly on her shoulder.

"I'm not going to give you some gushy, big speech about inner beauty or a relationship between a mother and a daughter, but I _am_ going to make it short, and I _am _going to say something." She stroked her daughter's shining dark hair. "I was just waiting until you were ready. I wasn't sure exactly when that was going to be, and I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for to tell me that you were, but you are going to be a college girl in less than two years. I think it's about time I lightened up a bit."

Jessica and her mother shared a loving smile and a brief hug.

"Thanks, Mom. I love you."

"I love you, too. Now, go down there and impress your--" she was cut off by Jessica's glare. "Friend who is here for nothing more than a friendly outing."

Jessica smiled in satisfaction and walked to her closet.

"Alright, Mom. Would you mind telling him I'm almost done? I need to add one last touch."

"Sure, hon," she smiled warmly, stepping out of the room and closing the door behind her. She shook her head in amazement. Drew was in for more than he deserved--more than any boy deserved, in her opinion. But then again, she was a mother. She was going to be slightly biased. But, biased or unbiased, anyone could see that Jessica was gorgeous with a stunning smile.

Ms. Kramer hopped off of the last stair happily, humming her favorite tune. Drew was standing up now, pacing back and forth nervously. Of course, once he realized someone was in the room, he stood still and smiled innocently.

"So?" Drew asked, trying to keep his voice from breaking from anticipation.

"So…" she trailed off meaningfully, wagging her eyebrows. "She's almost done. Don't worry, it will only be a couple of more seconds." She stepped closer to him and dropped her voice to a whisper. "And it was _definitely _worth the wait."

Drew's look was questioning and confused as she skipped to the kitchen to give them some privacy. Of course she'd be able to hear what was going on, but she'd try not to if she could help it.

Drew turned away from the kitchen and towards the stairs once he heard footsteps. He was not prepared _at all _for what he was about to see.

Jessica stepped down the steps a little more quickly than usual, although in his mind, she was walking in slow motion. Her hair was silky, dark, and flawless. Her light red sweater was long enough to shape around her hips and over her two front pockets, but it was not long enough to be a dress. Her dark jeans curved down her legs smoothly, never wrinkling or showing any sign of imperfection. Her dark navy chucks was something he'd never expect anyone to wear with that outfit, but they worked. They _definitely_ worked. A small, understated silver necklace hung limply from her neck, tying it all together.

But then he saw her face.

She was beautiful. No, not beautiful. Beautiful would be an insulting word. It didn't cover her appearance closely enough. Millions of different words ran through his head: _gorgeous, breath-taking, pretty, hot, lovely, _and many, many more. His eyes bugging out of his head, his mouth agape, he was frozen. Completely frozen. Once again, no girl had ever made him freeze up. _He _was supposed to make girls freeze like a statue! They weren't supposed to have that affect on him! It was against the rules!

It was a couple of moments before he realized that Jessica was standing in front of him and not still walking down the stairs.

"Alright," she sighed casually, "I'm decent."

Still frozen. No response. He was pushed into total shock if he wasn't already. _Decent_? _Decent_? Honestly? Is that all she saw? Simply _decent_?

"Uh…" Drew mumbled, "um… well… you…"

"Are stuttering," she quoted him, following it up with a wide signature smile. Now he was nearly completely paralyzed. He smiled in response, not trusting himself to speak. No telling what would slip out…

"I… uh…"

"Have you decided if you're okay with the carnival yet?"

Drew finally forced himself to speak. He had to. She was waiting for an answer.

"I already told you that wherever you wanted to go was fine with me," he muttered, not wanting to speak any louder. He was positive his voice would crack.

"I know, you just looked like you didn't really want to," Jessica shrugged. "I guess we don't have to."

"No," Drew said confidently. His voice broke, just like he'd expected. However, he ignored the look it earned from Jessica. "_I _am paying _you_ back for having me over for Christmas. We are going where you want to go, like it or not."

"Hmmm," Jessica said suspiciously, narrowing her eyes, "that's surprisingly selfless, Drew."

His pulse hammered in his veins.

"Uh, yeah," he breathed, "whatever. Don't get used to it."

She smiled her breath-taking smile when he said this. That had been exactly what he'd said when he'd apologized for the first time, and he'd done it over and over again.

Drew exerted more effort than he ever had in not saying--especially _doing_--something incredibly stupid than ever before. There were so many things his hormones wanted to do on impulse at the moment… but he fought back the thoughts with every tiny bit of his willpower he had remaining.

"So, are you ready to go?" she asked, pulling a piece of paper out of her back pocket. "I printed out directions. It's really not that far, so no whining."

This helped snap him back into reality. However, his voice was not normal yet.

"Please, Drew Hitley doesn't do _whining_," he snorted. His voice was still a simple octave too high. She raised her eyebrows suspiciously but shook it off with a shrug.

"Sure he doesn't," she rolled her eyes. "But do you mind if I ask you a question?"

Drew was suddenly tense. His eyes were cautious.

"What?"

"Why do you _always _speak in third person?" she asked.

"I--" He honestly didn't know.

"Never mind. Do you want to leave now?"

His thoughts were now scrambled again since his mind had been taken off of the current question. His eyes were stuck to her, and he was unable to look away no matter how hard he tried. Just then, the unfairness of the situation settled in on him. He was doing what _she _should have been doing to him from the beginning! He didn't want to give her the satisfaction… but he soon forgot everything that just ran through his mind when she stepped closer.

"Drew, hello?" she asked, waving her hand in front of her face. His mind was elsewhere. She was within touching distance… so close. They were only about four inches apart. He could smell her lavender body wash. Her freesia shampoo was incredibly mind-boggling. She was so gorgeous… she smelled so good… she was so down-to-earth…

He was snapped out of his trance when he realized she was no longer standing in front of him. By now she was halfway to the door. Drew was so startled with his behavior that his cheeks turned pink and stayed that way for the next half hour.


	15. Chapter 15

**Heya, everyone! Here is Chapter 15! This one will be even more intense than the last… ooh, ah! Just kidding LOL**

**REVIEW, PM me, Here ya go!**

Jessica tapped the inside of the car door with her fingers while waiting for Drew to enter the car. He was still inside the house. She probably knew what was happening… he was having the classic parent talk with her mother. She was giving him the basics, such as 'don't have her out too late!', 'keep her safe!', 'wear your seatbelts!', and 'have her home by eleven!'. Just the classic parent freak-out. Wait… or was she? Horror hit Jessica hard in the gut when realized she was probably saying the exact opposite. Ms. Kramer was probably saying something along the lines of, 'have her out as late as you like, Drew!', 'she really enjoys it when you…', 'her favorite food is…', and 'oh! I know what would really charm her!'. God, could her mother be any more wrong?

Drew stepped out into the cold night with a smug smile on his face. Yep, it was the second one.

"Finally," she groaned to herself before he got into the car.

"All right," Drew grinned, sitting in his seat and turning towards her, "your mom had a talk with me and I think I've got everything straight. So, your favorite flowers are roses, right?"

Jessica huffed and slapped him on the shoulder. He smirked playfully and cranked his car.

_I knew it_, Jessica thought sourly.

"You know what?" Drew asked, all traces of smugness gone. "I don't mean to offend here, but… I've always kind of expected to get The Talk from a dad. Is there a father in the picture?"

Jessica's jaw tightened and she stiffened noticeably.

"Uh, no," she said stiffly. "No dad."

"What happened? Divorce? Separation that's not 'official' yet?" he pushed. Jessica noticed how he mentioned divorce so casually like it was a normal part of daily life. This caused her a pang of sympathy and annoyance all at once. She really didn't want to talk about this.

"Nope," she murmured, hoping that her short answers would be enough to clue him in, but it obviously didn't.

"Okay, then. Well? Where is he? Did he leave? Because if he did, it's cool. I totally understand. I don't know if you knew this, but my parents divorced when I was younger."

"Um, yeah, I knew that. Magazines have done tons of bios on you."

"Really?" he asked, flattered. "Well, I knew there were biographies on me, but I _didn't know _that _you_ read them."

"Please," Jessica rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant."

Drew shrugged.

"Sure it's not." He looked over at her and raised his eyebrows with a crooked smile. Jessica was angry enough that he dared to get on the touchy subject on her father that she didn't change color. This shocked him. "Uh, so, where's your dad?"

"That's none of your business."

"So? I'm curious."

"Well, can you just butt out, please?"

"Last time I mentioned anything about your parents you did this. What's up with you?!"

"My dad is dead, okay?! He's _dead_. Killed. Gone. Vamoose. Not coming back. There, I told you. Happy now?"

Jessica huffed and turned away from him to stare out the window. Even after all of these years, it still hurt just as much to talk about it as it did right when it had happened. None of the pain had gone away. If anything, it had gotten worse.

"Oh," was all that Drew could say. Then, all of a sudden, he was hit by the unfamiliar feeling he'd come to know too well since he'd met Jessica. Guilt. _Intense _guilt. "Jessica… that…"

"Sucks? Yeah, trust me, I know."

"I… guess that I shouldn't have… what I mean is that, well, I…"

"Spit it out, Drew!"

"I'm sorry! That was uncalled for and stupid and rude and insensitive and I'm sorry, okay?" he said quickly, almost flinching as if it hurt. Jessica was still angry with him, but she softened slightly. That was number three on the apology list. And, according to Drew, there wasn't supposed to be a list at all.

"Oh. Um, okay. Just forget it and let's pretend we never had this conversation, how about that?" she asked, turning back towards him again. "I guess I am a little _too_ touchy about it. I just… found over the years that it's easier to handle if you don't talk about it."

"Understandable," Drew nodded, biting his lip. "I, uh, guess curiosity got the best of me. Sorry."

This made Jessica turn all the way around towards him and smile, amused.

"That's apology number four."

"Huh?"

"Apology number four. That's the fourth time you've apologized to me."

Drew suddenly became very interested in the road.

"I, uh…" Drew stuttered. Then a smirk crossed his face and he turned his head to her slowly. "You were keeping count." It wasn't a question.

Jessica turned crimson.

"Don't try and turn this around on me! The point is that _you_ told me not to get used to it. I'm starting to think I should," she said, her color darkening.

"So, what are you suggesting?" he asked, smiling crookedly. "Are you trying to tell me that it's supposed to mean something? You're blushing, so I think you're pleased at the thought of… me showing compassion?"

"No, I… wait, compassion? Where'd you get 'compassion' from?" she asked, turning it back around on him.

"What? Huh? I didn't say that…"

"Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't. You're just so thrilled to be in the car alone with me that you're hearing things!"

"Oh, please, you'd love that, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, actually," he muttered. But he said it so quietly that Jessica wasn't sure if he'd actually said it or if she was just hearing things. "So," he said more loudly, trying to sound casual, "You'd probably better let me see the directions. We need to know where we're going."

"Right." Jessica pulled the paper out from her back pocket and handed it to him cautiously. For some reason, she was careful to make sure that their hands did not touch. Why was everything so awkward? Well, things had always been a little awkward, but now it certainly was worse than ever before. Was it because now she was aware of his feelings for her when he wasn't even aware himself? Or was it because she'd dressed up a little more than usual and it looked like his eyeballs were going to pop out of their sockets and roll across the floorboards when she'd come downstairs? Maybe it was both, but all she knew is that she wished he'd stop asking questions meant to make her stutter and turn pink and red.

"So, I turn off of Highway Fifteen and onto Burgundy Street?" Drew asked casually, pulling the car over to the side of the road to better obtain a look at the map.

"Yeah," Jessica answered, "but you're gonna have to turn around and go from there."

"What? Why?" Drew questioned.

"Because," she said obviously, "Burgundy Street is the other way. You need to turn around. But make sure that you don't go through the intersection or we'll be stuck in traffic forever."

"Intersection? What? No, I'm just going from here. You're confusing me."

"It's not that hard! But you can't go from here because Burgundy Street is in the _opposite direction_."

"Of course you don't think it's that hard. You've lived here for who knows how long? I'm just going forward. We can just circle around."

"Drew," Jessica argued, "you can't turn around. There is nowhere _to_ turn around. The highway just keeps on going straight. Unless you plan on going to some carnival in Canada that I don't know about, than _turn around_."

"I know how to drive!" he objected.

"I'm sure you do! But if you want to get there, you have to follow the map. Without it's directions, neither of us have any idea how to get to the carnival."

"Exactly!" he exclaimed. "So stop acting like you know where to go!"

"I know where to go because I'm reading the map--unlike _someone_!" Jessica spat.

"I'd read the map if _someone_ would let me drive without interrupting me," he shot back. "So, now that's settled, we are going _my_ way."

Drew waited for a buffer from Jessica, but she just sat motionlessly, crossing her legs and arms. She stared angrily out the window before turning her head towards him without hesitation.

"I'm driving," she stated.

This shocked Drew almost more than her momentary silence. He involuntarily leaned over his steering wheel protectively with his eyes narrowed.

"No way. Not my baby."

Jessica snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Your baby? Please. First of all, I am a good driver--"

"Says the girl without a car."

"Be quiet! I wasn't done! What I was saying was that I am a good driver, and I wouldn't dream of wrecking your car. Not while it's my only form of transportation, anyway. And secondly, if anything happened, it's not like you couldn't just go out and buy five new ones," Jessica retorted.

Drew didn't say anything. He just leaned back in his seat with sigh and folded his hands across his legs.

"No, for your information, this is my one and only ride."

Jessica groaned, "Don't give me that. I don't care if… Megan Fox rode in this car with you. You know you'd just buy a new one no matter how much 'sentimental value' this thing had."

"Okay, first of all," Drew said, clearly annoyed. He pivoted his body in her direction, "It wasn't Megan Fox, it was Hayden Panettiere. And second of all, I don't care if she--or both of them--rode with me. There is only one person I care that rode in this car."

"Who?!"

"I care that… uh, _I_ rode in this car. That's it. So, I could care less if I got a new car. Or five new cars! I could get five new cars and not care."

"Then if something happens to this one, why wouldn't you?"

"'Cause I was cut off!"

Silence.

Jessica opened her mouth to retort but shut it quickly in surprise. Did she just hear correctly? Had _Drew Hitley_, who constantly bragged about his fame _and _fortune, seriously been cut off from his seemingly endless financial resources?

"Cut off."

"Yep. Cut off. I have no access whatsoever to my bank account, or my family's bank account, or our backup bank account. I don't even have access to our backup account for our backup account!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

"You have a _backup _backup account?"

"Yeah, everyone does. Ask around."

Jessica sighed and massaged her temples.

"How come you never mentioned that? It seems like something you might bring up in a conversation," she asked, her voice worn.

"I… uh… 'have found that over the years it's easier to handle if you don't talk about it.'" he quoted her. Jessica took that as a clear sign to close the current conversation.

"Drew," she said calmly, "fighting is getting us nowhere. Can we please just look at the map and get to the carnival before it closes?"

He sighed, "Sure. Yeah, you're right. So, I'm supposed to turn around here?"

"Yeah," she answered, smiling slightly. Maybe talking calmly and rationally with him _was_ an option. "Just turn around here and I'll tell you when to turn."

"Okay."

The two got along swimmingly for the rest of the ride, considering that the only time they talked to one another was when Jessica had to give directions. Within twenty minutes, they had finally arrived at their destination. They both were relieved. Silence in the car had made it seem like endless hours.

Jessica opened her door slowly, feeling despair as the warm atmosphere of the car was traded for the freezing cold of the outdoors. She sucked in a deep breath and sighed, a cloud forming and disappearing in front of her face. Drew looked over at her curiously.

"What's up with you?" he asked, his eyes scrutinizing her face.

"Nothing," she shrugged, walking around the hood of the car and towards the twinkling lights of the carnival. "It just feels weird getting out of the car and getting into this." She was referring to the weather. Drew's curious stare faded.

"Oh, yeah," he agreed, joining her at the front of the car. The darkness engulfed them. The only reason they had any visibility at all was because of the carnival lights not too far ahead of them. Drew had parked on the side of the road after secretly wondering where the valet parking was. He'd decided to keep his mouth shut incase it earned a glare from Jessica. He'd already received a night-full of those.

The darkness of the cold winter night was silent and frosty. The cold wind bit at their faces and any exposed skin. It was presumably thirty-four degrees outside, not including wind chill. All that guided the two was the bright lights and sounds of twinkling laughter from children and jolly laughter from the elder with child-like spirits. They both stuffed their hands in their pockets without thinking.

After an awkwardly silent walk to the ticket booth, Jessica reached into her back pocket and pulled out her wallet.

"Hi," she said warmly to the ticket seller, "two adults, please."

"How old are you?" the woman asked, twiddling with her cropped dark grey hair. She looked potentially bored. She didn't appear like she belonged inside of a large, colorful ticket booth. She looked like someone you'd picture sitting at home watching television at all hours while the day dwindled away.

"Both seventeen," Jessica answered, her warm disposition intact. She was determined to have a good time tonight. She'd had a pep talk with herself while her and Drew were having a quiet contest in the car. She was going to have a great night, whether Drew liked it or not.

"Fine," the woman said dully, tearing two small tickets off of a long roll. "That's twelve dollars."

Jessica rummaged through her wallet and pulled out a ten dollar bill and two ones. The woman took them without any sign of awareness of where she was, and handed them the two small orange tickets.

"Thanks," Drew muttered, taking one. The woman's gaze lifted casually and surveyed the two of them.

"Whatever," she shrugged. "Two tickets for the happy couple."

Jessica's cheeks turned dark pink as a nervous giggle unintentionally escaped her lips. Drew's eyes widened and he shook his head quickly.

"No, no," Drew said quickly, his breathing becoming uneven, "we're not dating. No, no, we're just friends… if you could even call us that." To her dismay, Jessica could detect a note of sadness in his voice.

"Right, what he said," Jessica stuttered, giggling nervously. _Oh, I wish I could stop laughing like an idiot! I sound like a complete psycho._

"Oh," the ticket seller said, a note of amusement in her voice, "my bad. Ooh, awkward. I guess I probably shouldn't have said that. I bet all kinds of weird thoughts popped up in your heads then, eh?"

Jessica's lips pursed. _Well, there is now,_ she thought angrily. It was official: she didn't like this lady. At all.

Drew, on the other hand, was completely preoccupied by watching Jessica's reactions. Her mind was a mystery to him, but he was rather enjoying the looks that came across her face. And the colors her cheeks turned were adorable…

"Anyway," the woman said, "have a nice night." Although, it didn't sound like she meant it at all. Shocker.

_Not sure how nice my night will be after that_, Jessica thought, furious.

"That was funny," Drew muttered more to himself rather than to Jessica. She clearly heard him but decided not to comment. She didn't want to get into a conversation with him on _that _particular subject.

The two walked passed the ticket booth and into the carnival ground. The lights and music surrounded them, as well did large crowds of people. A look came across Drew's face that caught Jessica's attention immediately.

"What?" she asked, unable to hide the concern. His eyes flickered down to her but shot back up to the endless strangers surrounding them

"I knew this was a bad idea," he mumbled. "I knew I shouldn't have come. This was a horrible idea from the beginning."

"What's so horrible about my idea?" Jessica asked defensively, crossing her arms. Drew looked down at her with an aggravated expression. He was giving her the 'isn't it obvious?' look.

"Jessica," he whispered urgently, grabbing her arm and pulling her with him to an area behind a small striped tent.

"Ow! What is it?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked, his blue eyes wide. "We are at a _public_ place! And not only public, but crowded. Really, really crowded. What do you think is gonna happen when you are caught with an extremely famous celebrity in the middle of a huge crowd?"

Now she understood. This was a pretty stupid idea, she realized.

"Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'! Swarms of screaming fans! _Swarms _of them, Jessica! I'm surprised we've even made it this far without getting caught and chased out," he answered, his eyes darting everywhere.

"I thought you liked it when girls chased you," Jessica said pointedly, crossing her arms. He was so bipolar.

Drew's eyes stopped darting everywhere and rested on her. His face softened.

"Well," he began, "not really that much anymore. I… uh… don't really feel the need for thousands of people falling all over me--at least, not now, anyway. I'm good with just one girl for now."

Jessica tried to make a gagging sound but couldn't bring herself to do it. She just flushed and stared at her navy blue chucks. She tried changing the subject and ignoring her racing pulse.

"So what are we gonna do?" she asked, talking to the gravel. "Do we just go home?"

"Of course not," he said, noticing the dismay in her voice. "You wanted to come to a carnival and we are going to a carnival. That's final."

Jessica, against her better judgment, looked away from the ground and at him. She smiled appreciatively before she could stop herself.

"So we are just going to let every girl here flirt and follow you around?" she asked him, her voice more aggravated than she'd expected.

"I don't know what we'll do. But… why? Does girls flirting with me bother you?" he asked, smiling attractively. The blood rose to her cheeks.

"No! I just think it might be a bump in the road," she said, trying to sound convincing. She couldn't believe it, but she felt the unfamiliar pang of jealousy. She internally kicked herself. Since when did she get jealous?

"Right," he chuckled, "then why do you blush every time I mention the fact that you are undoubtedly attracted to me?"

"In your dreams, Hitley."

"Probably," he muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing! So, should I go incognito or something? I'm sure I could find something around this freak-show to make me unrecognizable," he suggested. Now it was his turn to blush. "Of course, it's not gonna be easy hiding _this_ face." He raised his eyebrows and smiled crookedly.

"We can try," Jessica rolled her eyes. "I think a hat and some sunglasses could do the trick."

Drew's hands shot up to his flawless blond hair. He raised an eyebrow doubtfully.

"A hat?"

"It's gonna hide your hair. Just sunglasses aren't gonna work. What's the problem? Scared you'll mess up your 'doo'?"

"I just don't want all of the money that my manager spends to go to waste," he said hastily, dropping his hands.

"Fine. Whatever. We'll go with the sunglasses, but _keep your head down_," she emphasized.

"Right," he rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me what to do. I've gone through situations like this hundreds of times."

"On your own?"

"I'm not alone. I have you, don't I?"

"Not what I meant. Without the manager and bodyguards, I mean."

"Then, no," he said sourly.

"That's what I thought. Now, you stay here and I'll go buy you a pair," Jessica said, running past him before he could object. He sighed and groaned. She was so stubborn… and impossible… and pretty… and infuriating… and cute when she blushed… no, she was cute even when she didn't blush. With a burst of intuition, Drew realized that the internal battle inside of himself was over. He no longer could find it within himself to ignore these odd feelings he got around her… especially tonight. When she'd come downstairs, his hormones had been bouncing around too much to ignore or simply forget about. The way he'd longed to touch her… the way he'd wanted to pull her closer and whisper how stunning she was… it was inarguable. Drew could no longer justify any thought to leave her alone. He liked her. She was now more than a simple _want_. She was a necessity.

_I can't believe this_, he thought with disbelief. _There's no way… but it's too late. There is a way. I already have. God, what did I do to let my guard down? This wasn't supposed to happen! It was supposed to be the other way around! But… I don't really care about that very much anymore. I'll get Jessica, _then _I'll worry about where things went wrong. Or where things went right._

By now, Jessica was running back to him, holding a pair of sunglasses out for Drew.

"It was their last pair," she panted, her chest heaving. Her cheeks and nose had slightly turned red from being wind burned. He found himself just thinking she looked even better…

His thoughts vanished when he looked down at the glasses. His eyes widened and he held them back out to her.

"I don't think so," he shook his head. "No way on this earth am I wearing those."

"Stop being a baby just because they aren't _designer_," Jessica replied, annoyed. "They look fine. Do you want to get swarmed or do you want to have a good time unrecognized?"

He eyed her, his teeth clenched in anger. He snatched the sunglasses back and put them on. They were dark… but all the better. That way he could look at her as long as he wanted without being noticed.

"I suppose I can make anything work," he said cockily, adjusting his expensive jacket. He pushed them up the bridge of his nose.

"They actually don't look that bad," Jessica said suprisedly, cocking her head to one side. "Considering the fact that those were girls' sunglasses, you make it to where I can't even tell!"

Drew slid his sunglasses down his nose just enough to peer over them. His sapphire eyes were piercing.

"_Girls' _sunglasses? Are you kidding me?!"

Jessica snickered.

"Stop being a baby. You look fine."

He grinned his charming grin, looking up haughtily.

"Of course I'm fine," he laughed. "According to the magazines, I'm more than _fine_. I'm irresistible. That would explain why you're so drawn to me."

Jessica shut her eyes and clenched her fists. Her voice was dangerously low.

"I swear, Drew, if you say that one more time, this night will be over before it ever started," she whispered, not opening her eyes.

No, that was the last thing he wanted!

"Sorry," he said quickly, knowing that apologies softened her. He'd put his ego aside for now and pick it up later. She seemed to like it more when he was more 'sincere'. Sure enough, she opened her eyes and smiled softly.

"It's okay. And that's number five," she smiled.

Drew leaned down until his face was even with hers. In fact, they were no more than half a foot apart. With his sunglasses still slid down enough to peer over, he smiled and winked.

"Keep counting, Kramer," he breathed, his voice smoother than silk. "I'm going for a new record."

Jessica's color deepened to a shade darker than Drew had ever seen it. This just amused him further. He leaned closer, knowing that she was too much in shock to step back. Their foreheads were practically touching as he whispered casually, his voice still alluringly smooth, "so, what ride do you want to do first?"

She forgot to breathe as her heart tried to literally jump out of her chest.


	16. Chapter 16

**Did you guys like the ending to Ch.15? I know it was a cliffhanger… sorry about that. But I needed to have least one of those in my story to feel complete! LOL**

**I had a really good suggestion from **_**it'sapartyintheUK**_**! I was already thinking about maybe doing it, but they thought it would be cool to have a soundtrack for my story! I really would like to do that since acting/singing/music/drawing/writing are my passions! I already have 3 songs in mind, but I wont reveal them yet. I'm evil ha-ha Sorry! If anyone has suggestions, Private Message me! Alright, I will stop with my seemingly endless speech and give you Ch. 16! Ooh, ah! Jk**

Jessica could feel his breath blowing soundlessly against her face. It smelled like spearmint--very refreshing. Her pulse hammered in her veins. She was unable to breathe. Ironic how every time she'd pictured this moment, she had been planning on confronting him and scolding him for trying anything funny. But now, she couldn't move. The exact opposite reaction was presenting itself, which was making her angry. Not at him (which made matters worse), but with herself. However, she had trouble thinking when the bright sapphire eyes were only inches from her own and she couldn't hear the loud sounds of the carnival over the pounding in her ears. And he smelled so good… curse that stupid cologne!

Maybe the pounding in her ears and the lightheadedness had something to do with the fact that she was forgetting to breathe. She was utterly terrified. Why? Because she knew that if he moved just a few inches closer, closing the space between them, she wouldn't be able to make herself move. To her befuddlement, however, he stopped where he was.

"Well?" he breathed. "Any preferences?"

Jessica opened her mouth to reply but no sound escaped. Lucky for her, opening her mouth reminded her to breathe. She drew in a deep breath quietly but couldn't make herself speak. How could she? She had no idea what to say. Drew's closeness and bright blue eyes scattered her thoughts until they were unintelligible. However, a sound escaped her mouth that made her turn redder than a beat.

"I… your eyes…"

He chuckled. "Are as blue as the ocean? Yeah, I know. So they tell me."

As her color deepened yet again, he smiled at her fondly. A look came into the painstakingly beautiful blue orbs that Jessica did not recognize. Was it… realization? Was it want? Was it _need_? It didn't take long to figure out…

He knew. She knew that he knew. Somewhere between the few minutes she'd been away buying sunglasses, he'd had an epiphany within himself. The moment she dreaded had finally arrived. Things went from neither of them knowing how he felt to just her knowing how he felt. Now they both knew how Drew felt about her. The last haunting question lingered in the air. _What do they do now?_

"Wha--what are you doing?" she whispered. It came out in an exhale, almost inaudible. She tried to sound severe, but she just sounded like a nervous child.

His smile faded slowly. For the first time, his eyes looked apologetic.

"I… I don't know," he answered, backing away regrettably. How he wished he could have stayed like that all night. The electricity running through his body had been ridiculously intense.

An eerie silence passed between them that both could read quite clearly. He knew that she knew. But what he wanted to know was if she knew how she felt herself. Did she share the same feelings, or was he alone? He hoped desperately that she felt the same way, but she was no closer to realizing her feelings than he had been a week or two ago. She had to feel _something_… otherwise she wouldn't turn every color of the rainbow whenever he complimented her in any form or fashion. Sure, he realized, she felt something. But was it to any extent of what he felt? He felt a roaring fire… did she just feel a smoldering flame?

Were they ever even going to get anywhere at all? He wanted to, that was definite, but she kept pushing him away. Why? She knew he wanted her. She knew he cared for her deeply. She knew that he'd never hurt her… right? She _did_ know that, didn't she? Was she still convinced that all of this was a simple ploy to earn her as a fan? That's what it had been at first, but not now. No, definitely not now. But did _she_ know that?

That must be what it was. She couldn't be open to new feelings and accept them if she kept old ones locked inside. She still questioned the sincerity and seriousness of the whole thing. He would have to prove to himself to her. Drew would have to make sure she knew, without a doubt, that he had changed. He had changed for the better since she'd come into his life unexpectedly. Anyone could see that. She had to know that she wasn't a simple crush or a stupid little fling. She was real--unlike anyone else. And the more time he spent with her, the more real he became, too. This might be a little cheesy, he thought, but he was going to have to be a classic gentleman. Time to put away the ego and conceited actor for the moment--perhaps forever--and show his sweet side. He had one, right? Well, even if he didn't, he was going to make one. For her.

He'd never thought he'd be going above and beyond for someone like this--especially a _girl_. From Washington. Who wasn't famous. Or rich. But when doubts like that crept into his head, they blew away like smoke in the wind when he saw her face and shimmering smile. She was going to be his, even if he had to work for her. He'd never tried to work or earn anything before, but there was a first time for everything, wasn't there?

"But seriously," Drew said casually, as if nothing had happened since she'd brought him the sunglasses, "what ride do you want to go on first? Your call."

Jessica blinked. What was he doing? One minute their faces are inches apart, the next he's talking casually as if nothing had happened? What game was he playing? Once again, he was showing all of the symptoms of a classic bipolar. Not like that was anything to joke about, but she was halfway not joking. She was starting to think he needed medical attention.

"Uh," Jessica blinked, her thoughts gradually straightening out, "I, um, guess maybe we could go get some food. How do you feel about food from _Sammy's_? The local restaurant is supposed to have a stand here."

Although Drew was putting his ego away for the moment, he couldn't stop himself.

"I don't think so," he shook his head. "He won't be here."

"What? Why?"

"If it's the local one like you said, he won't be here anymore. Thank goodness. It's for the health of the locals, I promise you," he said erratically.

Jessica raised her eyebrows. What in the world?

"Explain?" she asked, crossing her arms. "What's wrong with _Sammy's_?"

"Well," he began, "when I first got into town, I was really hungry. Against my better judgment, I convinced my limo driver to pull over to the nearest eating establishment. Little did I know, it was more like a _barfing_ establishment." Drew stuck is tongue out.

"What was wrong?" Jessica asked, faux concern in her voice. "Were the walls the wrong shade of beige?"

"Actually, yes," Drew said, narrowing his eyes, "but that's not the point. You should have seen the _bathrooms_. It was completely unsanitary! Everything was dirty and my food had hair in it! If you could even call it food! I swore that… that… _stuff_ moved on it's own! I wasn't pleased, so I notified the manager immediately."

Jessica glared. "Really, Drew? Really?"

"What?!" he asked defensively. "It was disgusting, and the sign in the window said that if my visit was less than satisfactory, to let them know. So I made sure they knew." He chuckled darkly, "and that was that."

"And that was that? _That was that_? Drew, that's completely ridiculous."

"No, what was ridiculous was the whole theme. _Beef_? Really? I mean, that's so 2000."

Jessica continued to glare at him, and he realized things weren't going well. He wasn't doing a very good job at putting away the ego. Nevertheless, he had to let her know the truth about the _barfing establishment_.

"Whatever," she shook her head. "The only reason I suggested _Sammy's _was for your benefit. The only other stand here for food is _McDonald's_."

"_McDonald's_?" Drew repeated, unable to keep the disgust out of his voice.

"Yep."

"_McDonald's_."

"Mm-hmm."

Drew made a gagging noise in the back of his throat. However, the gurgling of his stomach silenced them both.

"Sounds like someone's hungry," Jessica smirked.

"No, I'm not!"

Gurgle.

"Okay, fine," Jessica said sarcastically. "No Mickey D's. That's cool. We'll just… be here all night long with no food. No _delicious_, _juicy_, _tasty_, food."

Gurgle-gurgle.

"Oh, your hilarious," Drew narrowed his eyes. "I'm laughing. Really. Ha. Now, seriously, what are we gonna do about this?" He pointed to his stomach obviously. Jessica shrugged.

"Nothing," she replied. "Unless you decide to put all of your babyish, thought-up fears aside, then there is nothing we can do."

He sighed exasperatedly. The things he did for her…

"Fine. _McDonald's _it is."

Jessica did a double-take, scrutinizing his face. She was shocked.

"Did you just say 'fine'? As in, you'll go?" she asked, completely taken off guard.

"Yep. Please, don't make me repeat myself. I'm regretting it already," he pleaded.

"Um, okay, then," Jessica nodded, confused beyond explanation. She never thought she'd live to see the day when Drew Hitley decided to go to _McDonald's_. "It's right over there. Let's go."

She started to walk past him, but then stopped when she remembered something. "By the way," she said, blushing lightly at the memory, "pull your sunglasses up."

He grinned. "Right."

Drew followed Jessica obediently as she led him to the only source of food within miles. He walked up to the small red and yellow stand regrettably. What he hoped was mud was splattered across the front, almost completely hiding the restaurant's logo. He groaned internally. Was Jessica even worth _this_? Yes, yes she was. Dang it.

The surprisingly appetizing smells drifted from the ovens, turners, and fryers cramped inside the small space. A large woman looked up when they approached, a jolly smile pasted across her face. Her thin blond hair was drawn back into a tight bun with a hairnet. Drew thanked the Lord that he wouldn't have any hair issues in his food this time.

"Hey, there," she said warmly. "Can I get you two anything?"

"Yes, please," Jessica grinned. "I'll just have a Mandarin Chicken Salad, and he--" she motioned to Drew "--will have a Big Mack."

Drew's eyes shot to her, looking incredulous. He'll have a _what_?

"Sure. It will be a few minutes," the woman told them. She seemed to have the same smirk on her face that Jessica did. Was he missing out on some private joke or something?

"Take your time," Jessica said, her tone strangely smug. "We'll just wait over here."

Jessica walked casually over to a set of nearby chairs and sat down, crossing her legs. Her eyes followed him as he took a seat beside her. He sighed sadly as he reminded himself not to scoot the chair any closer to her than it already was. He had to be a gentleman. Groan. She noticed, but said nothing. She covered up her curiosity with a smirk.

"Okay, can you explain to me what you just ordered for me? Without asking," he added agitatedly.

"Food," she grinned. "It's called a Big Mack. You sounded pretty hungry, so I was nice enough to get you the large."

"The large? The large of _what_, exactly?"

"You'll see."

Drew left it at that. If letting her buy him whatever she wanted to helped the cause, than so be it. The only thing that kept him strong was looking at her through his dark sunglasses. He secretly thanked her for having the idea--he rather enjoyed staring at her as much as he wished without having to worry about getting caught.

Her hair glinted in the lights of a nearby carousel. The laughter of the children riding the massive circling wheel faded as his ears adjusted for only one sound: her voice. Her smirk faded as she eyed him suspiciously from the corner of her eye. She couldn't exactly justify… but it _felt _like he was staring at her. She could almost feel his eyes. It was uncomfortable… and strangely flattering. Even after all of this time, she wasn't used to anyone giving her second looks, let alone staring at her. Especially a _guy_. You'd think after all of this time, she'd be used to the admiring stares he gave her at random moments, but she wasn't. Not in the least.

Drew pretended like he was just noticing her eying him and smiled his charming smile. He raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Yeah?" he asked.

She almost jumped at how he was suddenly observant.

"Oh, nothing," she said quickly, looking away. She pretended to become interested in watching the woman at the food stand fix their dinner.

Awkward quiet lasted for about five minutes while their food was prepared. Jessica fiddled around with a piece of her dark hair that was draped over her shoulder. Drew found himself internally wishing he was doing the same thing: playing with her hair.

"It's ready!" they heard a jolly voice ring. Jessica shot out of her chair the minute she had an excuse to. She power walked to the stand and exchanged the food with money. She brought their food back, being careful to walk more slowly back towards Drew. Nevertheless, the chilly wind pushed against her, causing her hair to fly behind her as she walked. She shuddered. What was she thinking? Why didn't she bring a jacket? She was freezing, and now Drew had excuse to put his jacket around her. She would try her best not to appear cold so she didn't give him a reason to pretend to be chivalrous.

"Here's the food," Jessica said happily, handing him his Big Mack, which was wrapped loosely in yellow paper.

"Yummy," Drew said dully, flipping it around in his hands. "This looks more like something I could play baseball with than something edible."

"Stop complaining and eat up," Jessica scolded, taking the lid off of her small salad. She opened her package containing her plastic fork and dug in.

"Plastic?" Drew asked disbelievingly, looking at her fork.

"Yup," she answered, mouth full of lettuce. "You better hurry before I finish. It's the Big Mack or no food at all. Take your pick."

Drew looked back down to his 'food' and poked it with his pointer. He peeled back the wrapper and stared at the greasy sandwich with an eyebrow raised.

"I don't think so," he snorted. Jessica rolled her eyes and continued to eat her salad with her legs crossed patiently. He looked at her pleadingly. Although, the effect was lost behind the sunglasses. "Oh, Jessica, please don't make me do this."

"I'm not making you do anything," she shrugged, taking another bite.

_You are, you just don't know it,_ Drew thought sourly. She'd be pretty impressed with him if he took a bite, let alone ate the entire thing. He didn't plan on eating the whole thing, but it was Jessica. He'd prove her wrong.

Hesitantly, Drew picked up the greasy hamburger and looked at it sickeningly. _It's for Jessica, it's for Jessica, it's for Jessica_, he repeated inside of his head. It would be easier if he closed his eyes. He squinted his eyes shut and pulled it up to his mouth. He sighed, defeated, and took a bite. He was shocked as the surprisingly delicious juices squeezed from the tender meat. His eyes opened as he separated his bite from the meat and bread and chewed slowly, thoughtfully. The rare time his eyes left the meat, they shot to Jessica's face.

There she sat, frozen. She dropped her plastic fork, it clattering almost noiselessly into her bowl. She was watching him without making any effort to hide it, her eyes wide. Her left eyebrow was raised in disbelief.

"You… you actually _tried _it," she managed to say. Her voice was almost gone. She'd just assumed he'd take one look at it and throw it away into a trashcan!

"I'm open to a lot of things," he shrugged, hungrily taking another bite. Jessica flushed, realizing that intentionally contained more than one meaning. Luckily, he didn't notice. Drew was too absorbed within the shockingly juicy taste of his hamburger.

"Good to know," she muttered, taking a bite of her food. She was eating much more slowly now, cautious. He definitely _was_ bipolar tonight. What next? Giving his car to a homeless man on the side of the road?

To her utter surprise, Drew was finished with his burger when Jessica was only halfway done with her salad. He smiled triumphantly, not bothering to try and make her uncomfortable with his alluring eyes. The sunglasses were in the way.

"Teach you to challenge me," he smirked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Challenge you? When did I do that?" Jessica asked, her voice an octave higher in surprise. He grinned at this.

"When you said that I'd better hurry before you finished," Drew said obviously. "Proved you wrong, didn't I?"

"It kind of loses it's effect when you say it out loud, but yeah," Jessica said. To her surprise, a giggle escaped. This caused Drew to laugh a little. In result, Jessica laughed again, and so did Drew. Her laugh was contagious. Loud, boisterous, carefree. He loved it so much, almost as much as her big smile.

"Do you need me to finish your salad for you, too?" Drew laughed. It was his sincere laugh, something she didn't hear very often. And one of the things on her weakness list. Shoot. Because of this, she couldn't laugh along full-heartedly.

"Yeah, heh heh," she tried to laugh. "You can if you want. I've kind of lost my appetite."

Drew raised his eyebrows, "really? You okay? You were hungry earlier."

"Yeah, heh heh, not anymore."

"Oh. Well, no, that's your food. I've had my share," he laughed good-naturedly, patting his stomach.

"Heh. Yeah."

Jessica got out of her chair and gathered the trash into her hands. When she was about to reach for Drew's hamburger wrapper, his hand stopped hers. Her heart skipped a beat (she hated that!) as a jolt of electricity seemed to shoot from her hand to rest of her body. Drew noticed, too, but unlike what she would have done in the current situation, he kept his hand there instead of jerking it away. He stood out of his chair and slid the yellow wrapper out from under their hands with his other hand.

"I got it," he whispered, smiling. Jessica didn't pull her hand away--and she had no idea why. She didn't like the tingly feeling she was getting… she thought. Maybe it was because his hand was on top of hers. The hand that held the wrapper waded it into a ball and threw it into the nearest trashcan flawlessly.

"Nice shot," Jessica tried to say casually, though her voice broke. A look came across her face that made Drew laugh. She wasn't pleased with herself at all. It was hilarious.

"Okay," Drew laughed, lifting his hand away from hers. The electric current ceased. "Enough handholding. Time to hit the rides."

"Handholding," she muttered, shaking her head in disgust. He chuckled, amused.

"Relax," he mused, "kidding. You need to learn to stop taking things so seriously. You know, lighten up. Live a little."

"I know how to 'live a little'!" Jessica said, crossing her arms. Drew was reminded of a pouting child.

"Okay, then," Drew said quickly. "You are easy-going, are you? Then stop crossing your arms so much." His hands cuffed her wrists and pulled her arms apart easily. "Then LIGHT-EN UP."

There was that electric current again. He pressed her arms to her sides effortlessly against her resistance. "And stop resisting. Let it happen." And there was her blush again. Yet another multiple-meaning sentence.

"Fine," she mumbled, avoiding his eyes. She'd say anything to make him let her go…

"Fine what?"

"Fine, I'll lighten up!"

Drew shook his head disapprovingly. He clicked his tongue.

"It doesn't sound like it," he said, his sunglasses sliding down again. His piercing blue eyes peered over the edge. His hands were still cuffed around her wrists, sticking them to her sides. "Jessica, do you remember the promise you made about a month ago?"

"What promise?" she asked suspiciously. What was he up to now?

He sighed. "The one about you promising to keep an open mind. In return for the whole frog thing." He laughed at the memory. It seemed like such a long time ago. "I kept my part of the deal. Your turn."

"To do what?" she asked. As soon as she said it she regretted it. That was the question he'd been waiting for. They looked at each other for a long while. His eyes were explaining everything, but he answered anyway.

"Jessica," he sighed. He sounded sad. He looked like he was about to say something important but decided last minute not to. "Just to keep an open mind. To… _really _think things through, okay?"

"Okay," she said quietly, nodding. She hoped if she just kept agreeing he'd let her go. Right now there was no hope of getting out of his iron grasp. She was scared to try and escape, thinking he would only pull her closer. This was close enough. The electrical current pulsing through her was as much distraction as she could handle.

"Okay," he repeated thoughtfully. "Okay."

She sighed in relief when he released her. He sighed in dismay. He was starting to enjoy the tingling sensation the electrical current gave. In one fluid motion, he pushed his sunglasses back up his nose, threw away the rest of the trash in one throw, and started walking away.

"Where are you going?" Jessica asked, running to catch up to his long stride. He smiled.

"The sors dico," he answered mysteriously, slowing down so that she could walk by his side.

"The sors dico? What?"

Drew lifted a finger and pointed to a nearby purple tent. Sure enough, on the sign, it said in large letters, _Sors Dico_.

"See?"

"What does that mean?"

He continued to point. Below the confusing words, imprinted in smaller pink letters, it said, _fortune teller_.

"Fortune teller," Drew said simply. "I saw it a second ago and it interested me. What do you say we try her out?"

Jessica's eyes shifted from Drew's sunglasses to the small, purple tent covered in crescent moons. Light shone through small holes in the poorly-sewn edges of the tent. A thick, nauseating-looking pink smoke drifted airily through the doorway. Jessica could smell it from where she was standing. Too much perfume. The atmosphere around the tent was eerie--she didn't like it. It seemed like the laughter faded and echoed as her eyes and ears focused in. People seemed to move in slow motion as they passed it, then sped up again to normal speed when they were outside of the pink smoke. She didn't like it. _At all_.

"I don't know," she hesitated.

"Oh, come on," Drew chuckled, "are you scared?"

"Scared? Me? Pffft, no!" she shook her head back and forth. "I just… think it feel wrong."

"Well, you aren't an expert when it comes to your feelings," he muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing! But remember, open mind," he reminded her, tapping his temple.

"Yeah," Jessica answered, memories of a couple of seconds before flooding back to her. "Open mind. Right. But…"

He raised his eyebrows dubiously.

"You're scared."

"No, I'm not!"

"Just admit it."

"I'm not admitting something that's not true!" she exclaimed. "I'm just…"

"Stuttering," he chuckled, moving closer.

"Okay! Let's go!" Jessica said hastily, turning away from him and power walking to the smoky purple tent.

"Knew it'd work," he laughed to himself, stuffing his hands into his pant pockets. He followed her at a swagger.

**Okay, here is a challenge for the next chapters! Can anyone tell me what language 'sors dico' is in? Go on or ! That's all of the hints I am giving you. In the next chapter, there will be more words in this language. If you think about it, it's really not too hard.**

**Thanks!**

**ChAnNyObSeSsEd **_**out**_**!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey, hey, hey! I finished my music album for the story! 11 songs! I hope you guys like it, but I'm not revealing it until the end of the story because some songs fit what will happen later. Here is Ch. 17!**

Jessica stopped short of the purple tent, hesitant. The nauseating pink smoke drifted heavily through the open doorway for the tent. It appeared as if it would be too heavy to float through the air without a problem, since the action seemed to defy logic. She lifted her hand to her face, biting her nails without realizing it. She jumped as she felt a hand on the small of her back.

"I thought you weren't scared," Drew sneered, his eyebrows raising over the top of his sunglasses. Jessica's face was set.

"I'm not," she lied, her voice going on an octave higher. _Why_ was she born with that embarrassing quality?

"You would be an absolutely horrible actress," Drew shook his head. "You can count out that career choice." Jessica scowled.

"Well, if being in show business meant turning out like you, then why would I want to?" she snapped.

"That hurt."

"Good."

He had a playful edge to his voice, which implied sarcasm. Jessica sighed and gave up. Comebacks no longer encouraged fighting now, it just encouraged flirting. _He_ was flirting, she mentally added quickly.

Jessica leaned forward, as to peek inside of the mysterious tent. As she leaned in, her suspicions were confirmed. She didn't want to be here. She didn't _need _to be here. Every single nerve in her body cried, _RUN AWAY NOW!!!!!!!_

The mauve smoke thickened the air, making it hard to both breathe and see. The small tent was triangular on the inside as well, the patterns of crescent moons still visible through the walls. Faded white shelves lined the tent walls, full of cluttered books with inscriptions she could not decipher. Plastic glowing stars hung from the ceiling, the thread barely visible, giving them the illusion of levitating. In the middle of the space was a round table covered with a light purple tablecloth. In the middle of the table was a single crystal orb. In the right corner of the room was a small black kettle. So, _that _was the source of the sickening perfume. It poured from the inside, coming out in puffy billows. The smoke twisted and curled, radiating more of the sickeningly sweet fragrance.

Jessica's eyes widened and she spun around, ready to run. She was stopped by Drew's arm.

"Let me go!" Jessica protested, trying to break free.

"Now _you're _being ridiculous," Drew rolled his eyes. "She's obviously not in there. Let's just wait for Madame Oris."

"How do you know that's her name?"

"Says it on the sign," he replied simply, pointing to the sign above their heads.

"I don't care if her name is Madame Oris, or Iris, or Idiot! I just wanna leave!"

"Well, I'm not gonna let you," Drew smirked, tightening his grip on her shoulders. Jessica groaned but didn't bother to try and resist. She'd learned her lesson the first time. The sad part was she was starting to get used to the electric quality his touch had. But it wasn't his touch that made her jump. It was the cold finger that tapped on her back. She could feel the cold through her sweater. Jessica's back was to the entrance of the tent, and Drew was facing it. His eyes widened but didn't look frightened.

"Ego have been exspecto vobis. Quare es vos districtus? Adveho inside!" an airy voice whispered. It belonged to a woman obviously, but her age was not easy to decipher from her voice.

Drew released Jessica, the shocking current ceasing. However, he held his arms out incase she tried running once more. With a gulp, Jessica turned to the voice speaking to her. Her eyes widened liked Drew's.

"What?" Jessica asked, unable to understand her language. What tongue was she speaking, anyway? It didn't sound like anything she'd ever heard before.

The woman was short, but strangely not stout. She looked lean, her skin that of a thirty year-olds. Her nose was a little too small for her face and her eyes were dark, but had a strange luminescence to them. She had thin, long, dark hair that waved and stretched all the way down her back and to her waist. She wore robes of bright yet misty colors, but wore almost no jewelry except for a simple golden chain around her neck. A large, aqua bandana was wrapped around her head, finishing off her ensemble. But no matter how hard Jessica tried, she could not guess her age. Her olive, flawless skin suggested she was youthful, but her ancient eyes suggested otherwise. They were too old, too experienced to suit someone in that body.

The woman's eyes narrowed. "Est vestri nomen Jessica?"

"Uh, huh?" Jessica asked, bewildered. She sighed and seemed to contemplate with herself.

"Is your name Jessica?" she asked, in clear English. However, her voice had an odd accent. She rolled her 'r's, but she was not of Spanish descent. Jessica's eyes narrowed, too.

"Um, yes," she began, "but how--?"

"I am a sors dico, yes?" she asked, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Uh, fortune teller? Yeah, but seriously--?"

"You doubt my abilities?" she questioned, her voice not angered, but amused.

"Well," Jessica shrugged, "I am not really a believer in the paranormal, so yes, I have doubt."

"These abilities are one of those… things… that you cannot see, but you can feel," Madame Oris tried to explain. "One good example of this would be… love, I suppose. It is something you cannot see with your eyes, but you can feel it stronger than anything. Love is one of the most powerful forces in the universe we have been graced with, and it is related to my abilities in some ways."

Jessica raised her eyebrows doubtfully. "Love is related to your 'powers' how, exactly?"

Madame sighed and looked at Jessica like she was trying to explain this to a second grader. "The Lord loves everyone--including me. He loved me enough to bless me with this gift I can use. I can use it for evil, or I could use it for the forces of good to help people. He loved me enough to give me a choice. I choose to use it to help others. And, in another way, I can use it to help people find love."

"Interesting," Jessica said dully. "Can we get this over with so he will stop bugging me already?" She was referring to the confused celebrity behind her.

Madame Orin's wary eyes flickered to Drew momentarily then back to Jessica. A toothy grin spread across her face.

"Come in," she grinned, practically pushing them both into the smoke-filled tent. "You came here for your fortunes, did you not?"

"Yeah," Drew said, speaking for the first time. "I kept trying to convince her to come, but she was chickening out."

"And why were you, as he says, chickening out?" she asked Jessica, her accent showing. She took a seat in a glamorously decorated chair that Jessica just noticed. The confused customer sat in a small white chair across the table from Orin. Drew leaned against the nearby tent wall beside the entrance, trying not to be noticed for the moment. This was going to be interesting.

Jessica shrugged, looking a little nervous. She wished Drew would have kept that to himself.

"He told me that meaning no harm," Madame assured, her eyes glowing.

"Okay," Jessica shrugged again, not eager to get into a conversation. She coughed on the intense fragrance. "Why--" cough "--do you--" cough "--have that smoky stuff in here?"

"It helps to clear my mind," she answered with a smile. "My head needs to be completely cleared to be able to see things clearly. I don't need anything in my way."

Jessica coughed again. Drew himself was resisting letting out a couple of coughs.

"Okay, then," Jessica said uncertainly.

"You get used to the scent after a while," Orin laughed. Her laugh was high, like twinkling bells. However, it sounded like the bells were slightly out of tune. "Now, down to business. What would you like me to do? Read your palm." It was not a question.

Strangely, palm-reading was the first thing that popped into Jessica's head. She hadn't chosen to say anything out loud, though. Instead of freaking out like she'd assumed she would, this interested her.

"What am I thinking about now?" Jessica challenged skeptically.

"A Mandarin Chicken Salad," she answered after a moment.

Correct.

Jessica huffed and tried again. "Now?"

"About how strange I am."

"I don't mean that offensively."

"Oh, I know. I see that, too," she grinned, looking a little smug.

"Can we just get to the palm-reading?" Jessica asked impatiently. A smug chuckle escaped Madame Orin's lips as she reached forward for Jessica's hand. Jessica subsided, but hesitantly.

"Ah, the palma-lectio," she sighed. Jessica still had no idea what language she was speaking. "Latin," Madame Orin whispered.

"Latin? Isn't that a dead language?"

"Yes. But it comes in handy with my job," she replied.

"Got it. Time for the palm-reading!"

"You mean, palma-lectio."

"Yeah, yeah," Jessica sighed, stress building. She was more impatient with this woman than she was with anyone--maybe even Drew! Wow, she'd never thought that'd be possible.

Madame Orin closed her eyes and breathed in deeply through her nostrils, inhaling the scent. Her fingers tapped on the purple table in a strange rhythm. Her eyes suddenly flew open, making Jessica gasp. They were no longer dark. They were a light brown. A _strange _light brown. The light brown that Jessica didn't assume was an eye color.

"Give me your palm," she said, her voice light and airy. Now she was scared again. She didn't move her palm. Madame Orin growled in aggravation. "Quickly! Before I lose my focus!" This shrewdness surprised Jessica so she obeyed.

"Do you see anything?" Jessica asked, all doubtfulness and skepticism out of her voice. Now she was truly frightened, but slightly interested. Orin did not answer. She just sat there, her eyes wide as her thumb stroked circles on Jessica's palm. She took that as a yes.

The way her eyes stared was eerie, almost wrong. The light brown orbs stared at Jessica unseeingly. Jessica had the strange sensation that Madame Orin was not looking _at_ her, but _through _her. Her eyelids fluttered, but she did not blink. Her breathing quickened for a few short seconds and evened out afterwards. The fortune teller stopped stroking her hand and grabbed it, still not looking away from Jessica's eyes. Jessica was startled by this sudden action, but Orin showed no sign that she noticed.

Drew was leaning away from the wall now, almost leaning forward with interest. He didn't realize he'd changed position. He couldn't resist; the atmosphere was electric. Jolts of electricity danced around the tent, but it wasn't the same electricity Drew felt when he touched Jessica, it was a different kind. An alien kind.

Madame Orin's voice was no longer light and airy. It no longer sounded as though it could be superficial at all. No hoax.

"Do not fret," she breathed, her voice deep. It was not her own. As if in response, more pink smoke billowed from the small black kettle. More than should be physically possible. Jessica wanted to pull away, but couldn't. She wanted to hear what the fortune teller had to say. "You are unsure of yourself," Madame Orin whispered. "You are confused beyond explanation, Jessica Maria Kramer." How did she possibly know her last and middle name? come to think of it, how did she know her name at all? "Your _sator_ wants you to relax… relax and forget. Your sator, your father. He misses you, and he knows you miss him, too. He misses you and your mother more than you know, Jessica."

Jessica's eyes widened. "How could you possibly--?"

"He loves you. Very much. He knows you love him, too. But he wants to get a message across to you. You have been denying his death… denying it happened. You refuse to accept it and see it for what it is. You choose to turn away from the end of his life on Earth and not recognize it for what it is. He wants you to celebrate, not grieve! Embrace the pain, don't push it away! He _insists _that you let him go…"

"What? No, I wouldn't let him go--"

"Not let him go, but move on. Stop letting it hang over your head like a cloud. It has been over five years since the accident. He begs that you stop letting it get in the way of your life. The pain it caused you is making you fear pain of any kind. Whether it is coveting, leaving, losing the ones you love, rejection, anything. The pain you felt when he left is blocking your path to your life. Embrace the pain! Realize that he is in a better place, that he is happy and content!"

"What do you mean?" Jessica asked, her voice becoming smaller and smaller. Was this really happening? This only happened in visions within the conscious of the mind. This only happened in dreams while someone sleeps. Where no one can get hurt.

"You are scared of feeling this kind of pain again, so you _push everyone away_!" she shrieked, her voice still that of someone else. Her face softened, but her eyes did not turn or change. They stayed fixed within Jessica's. "He apologizes for yelling, but he is trying to get the point across. Jessie, _move on_. The pain will go away."

"Jessie?" Jessica whispered, her throat aching. Her father called her that. No one else.

"_Jessie, please, think about it_," a different voice came through Madame Orin's lips. Jessica recognized that voice anywhere, although it seemed like a faint, echoing memory. "_I love you. Stop letting the pain from my death get in the way of… current situations._" During the last section of the statement, Madame Orin's eerie eyes darted to Drew and then back to Jessica. Although the strange woman with unnatural gifts said nothing, Jessica understood the message loud and clear.

"Dad," she choked, her vision blurred.

"_Don't cry, honey,_" his voice comforted, "_…and that's an order._"

Yep, that was her dad's humor, alright.

"Okay," Jessica muttered, fighting back the waterworks. Anything he wanted.

"_Love you, Jessie. I'd better go, but just remember, embrace it--don't push it away. Now, make like a cow and moooove. Get on with your life. Promise?_"

Jessica laughed at her father's classic bad joke, her voice crackling from the struggle not to weep.

"Promise, Dad. I love you and I miss you!"

"_Okay. I love you and miss you, too, Jess. Keep your promise. Think about it. I'll be watching._"

"Sure, Dad. Promise," Jessica smiled through her silent tears. She groaned internally. Sure enough, the stupid tears had betrayed her.

Then everything happened all at once. Madame Orin's hand snapped away from Jessica's with a deafening cracking sound. Her eyes closed for a fraction of a second and opened again, dark like before. Jessica sniffed and wiped away a traitor tear with the back of her hand.

"Can you say _dramatic_?" Madame Orin asked, her voice back to normal. Cheery, almost.

Jessica stared at her incredulously. How could she sound so normal, so cheerful when something like _that _just happened? She wasn't even sure what _that _was, anyway!

"Dramatic," Jessica repeated, laughing through the hot tears streaming down her face. "I would… have _NEVER _thought that… something like that was… real."

Madame Orin shrugged with a jolly demeanor.

"You'd be surprised," she chuckled. "Do you doubt my abilities now?"

"No, not at all," Jessica laughed. The tears were starting to pour because of laughter now. The two laughed together for a while, all of the stress lifting from Jessica's being. But something else lifted, too--although, she wasn't sure what it was. She felt considerably lighter, like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"It feels better, doesn't it?" Orin asked, her eyebrows raising.

"So much better," Jessica sighed, feeling like she was breathing for the first time in a long while. "The weight has been lifted."

"Good," she grinned. "Good. That's what I'm here for."

Suddenly, with a flash of recognition, Jessica spun around. She'd almost forgotten that Drew was standing in the room, too.

The look on his face was unfathomable. His blue eyes were wide, his body pressed against the side of the tent as much as possible without ripping through it. His arms were held out in front of him as if he were trying to defend himself. Shock had frozen every muscle in his body. The only thing that he could force to move were his eyes. They shot around the room, as if looking for a way out. He knew where the door was, but he couldn't bring himself to leave. He'd lost control over his body. His eyes, after minutes of darting around, rested on the fortune teller. She smiled innocently, as if nothing had ever happened and they were just sitting down for a simple cup of coffee. His eyes moved to Jessica, who was turned around in her chair, facing him. A shockingly strong wave of pain flowed through him as he saw the trails of tears glinting on her face in the dim light. Apparently, his facial muscles decided to move just then, revealing that he hated seeing her cry.

"I'm okay," Jessica said casually, blushing from his intense stare. The blush and return of color to her cheeks seemed to be the antidote. His body unfroze as he sighed in relief.

"That was so… _freaky_," he managed to say. His voice was breaking. "I came to Washington to go to school, not to experience _paranormal activity_."

"Well," Orin shrugged, laughing to herself, "that's what you get for having the idea to come to a fortune teller's tent. You brought it upon yourself, Mr. Hitley."

"Yeah, I guess--wait, how do you know my name?" he questioned, pointing a finger at her.

"Drew, she's physic," Jessica said obviously.

"Yes, you may take off your sunglasses now," Madame Orin said. "It is nighttime, after all. I have a feeling you won't need those."

Drew reached to his face, his hands surprisingly unsteady. He pulled off his sunglasses with shaking hands. His sapphire eyes looked even more bright and piercing than usual, compared to the dark panes of his glasses. He'd had them on for such a long period of time, Jessica had almost forgotten what a deep shade of blue they were.

Jessica smiled smugly, rising from her seat and walking to his side. She crossed her arms and looked up at him, her face still stained with past's tears. How much he wanted to wipe them away… but that wouldn't be a good idea. _Awkward_.

"That was… interesting," he said to Jessica, his voice cracking again. She laughed her contagious laugh. Loud, boisterous, carefree. But somehow, even more carefree than before.

"Your turn, Hitley," she said, grinning as he stared back at her in disbelief.

**Alright, there it is! I am sorry if, for some reason, that chapter offended you or scared you. Or if you thought it was just plain cheesy! I've had the idea for a while and I really wanted to try it out. Well, now we all know why Jessica pushed our swooning Mr. Hitley away. Now that that particular weight is lifted, WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?! you'll see…. If you keep reading….**

**~ChAnNyObSeSsEd **_**out**_**!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hi everyone! Sorry about the slightly-offensive chapter b4. I will try to be more in depth with this one. JUST WANTED TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT I AM REALLY SORRY IF I OFFENDED ANYONE BY SAYING LATIN WAS DEAD OR IF FORTUNE TELLING CREEPED YOU OUT OR SOMETHING lol. Sorry, I apologize a lot. OH see, I did it again! And to clarify, I am Christian.**

**Here is chapter 18! After this, no more paranormal things!**

"Drew Hitley , vos have a valde interesting palma," Madame Oris grinned.

"What?"

"You have a very interesting palm," she explained.

"Oh. Well, thanks. I am a very interesting person, after all," he said, smiling cockily. Jessica snorted over in her private little corner. She was waiting for Drew to finish with his 'other-worldly experience'. Drew had, thankfully, minded his own business while it was her turn, so she would repay him with the same gratitude.

_Drew is interesting, alright_, Jessica thought, using all of her willpower not to roll her eyes.

"Exsisto pius! Keep your thoughts to yourself, please," Orin scolded Jessica. This was the first time she'd looked away from Drew's palm within a ten minute period. Her face had almost become red and she had a crease in-between her eyebrows from where they had been pushed together so much in frustration. She was obviously becoming irritable since she was having so much trouble understanding Drew.

"I was…" Jessica squeaked, backing into her corner as much as she could.

Drew, despite his strong urge, didn't move and stayed perfectly still in his seat. He was curious to what Jessica was thinking. What he would do to read her mind, to simply understand her thinking. To understand _her_. He'd caught enough of her little… uh… _experience _to understand what had happened, but he didn't know why she pushed him away. If he only had three seconds to look into her mind, things would be so much more clear to him. He suddenly envied Madame Orin.

"Is Jessica jealous?" Drew asked Madame Orin loudly. "You just can't stand the fact that I am so complex and that she read you like a book, can you, Jessica?"

Madame Orin hissed through her teeth and slapped Drew's hand sharply. "Res pius pomum vobis, quoque Mr. Hitley!"

He sighed, "you know that I have no idea what you are saying, right?"

"I said that being respectful applies to you, too!" she groaned. "You are lucky that I am lady or I would take advantage of that fact."

"Yeah, yeah, right. Sure," Drew said dismissively. He lifted his other hand that Orin wasn't reading and appeared to swat at an invisible fly. "So, you still having trouble understanding me?"

She sighed and stared at his hand with an intensity that made him think she was trying to burn a hole through it. He began to pull it away, but her surprisingly firm grip prevented him. "I just don't understand you! Vos es iustus a fatum!"

"I am a _fatum_?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "Fatum? Is that, like, good? I think that's good! Hey, Jessica, guess what?! I'm a _fatum_!"

Madame Oris couldn't help but grin to herself. Little did Drew know that _fatum _meant 'weirdo'.

"Oh, well, good for you," Jessica said dully.

"Wait…" Madame Orin whispered, looking at him intently. "I am… picking up some strong signals of emotion." She dropped her voice until it was so quiet that Drew could hardly hear. "Do you…?"

"Do I… what?" he asked, crestfallen. Dang it, she's found _something_. He was planning to go around bragging that he was the only person the fortune teller couldn't read. In Hollywood, after going around the rumor mill for a while, it would end up turning into 'Drew Hitley is not only sensitive and unbelievably handsome, but he is _complex_'. It was a total babe magnet. Too bad that he only wanted one girl, and he'd never _dare _to call her babe.

Madame Orin leaned closer and her voice was so low he had trouble deciphering her words. "Are you…?" she made a couple of meaningful 'mm' noises and nodded her head towards an inattentive Jessica.

"Depends on what 'mm' means," Drew whispered.

"I was trying to be subtle about it," she sighed, "incase she was listening. But she's not. Are you… feeling any form of _attraction _towards Miss Kramer over there?"

Attraction? Yup, that was definitely a subtle term compared to what he felt.

He shrugged. "Pffft, me? And her? Seriously? How could you even think that I'd…? I just… _yes_."

"I thought so," Orin smiled, triumphant that he wasn't completely unreadable. "And I _think _you are feeling… confused?"

"I totally know everything… I am so aware that… _yes, totally confused_," he confessed, giving up on his denials a little early.

"Okay, I am breaking down the barrier," she said, her voice full of relief. "I don't why, but you are different. The only reason I can think… I don't know. Are you going through any changes? Any at all?"

Changes? Yep, she was definitely subtle.

"A few," he said sarcastically, turning his head towards Jessica. Now she had her arms crossed, her back turned to them, and she was standing at the entrance of the purple tent. She was looking outside absentmindedly, letting the wind blow her hair back. He could feel his eyes melting, so he turned back around before the fortune teller picked up too strong of a signal.

Too late.

"Ooh, the plot thickens," she teased, narrowing her eyes. "I got a strong surge of emotions there. Goodness, and I asked about a slight attraction… You are drawn to her like a dog to a bone. I even think that analogy isn't strong enough." Drew thought that her face was too smug to compliment her. He wanted to slap the smug expression off of her face. He didn't like it when someone was so informed when it came to his personal life.

"Probably not," he muttered, flushing ferociously. "I… don't really know what I am supposed to do. I guess turning my ego down could help a little bit--"

"A lot."

"Right. And perhaps trying to think about others a little more than myself could help things--"

"A lot."

"Yeah, I know! I have tried, but I don't think it's doing anything," he admitted. His eyes raised to hers enviously. "You got a good look into her mind, right? Tell me what to do!"

"I'm not going to betray her personal thoughts like that," Madame Orin refused.

"Oh, please, you can read _anyone's _mind you want. You can't tell me that you've never used that to your advantage."

"Of course I have. I won't deny that. But I learn my lesson each time. If you weren't meant to hear them, then you would. But you don't, so _let it go_."

"Fine, then. Be that way. But I _did _hear something out loud when it was Jessica's turn. You know, the whole freaky communication thing," Drew referred, shivering at the memory. Orin nodded hesitantly. "He, or you, or whoever it was, was telling her to stop letting pain get in the way of things… and people. To stop pushing people away."

"Yes," Orin nodded, trying not to let anything slip that wasn't supposed to.

"I know what that means, but I don't know what that means. Do you know what I am saying?" Drew asked.

"Yes. And no."

Drew tapped his fingers on the table impatiently. His blue eyes drilled into hers, trying to unlock the secret she was holding back from him. "Drew, I am not going to tell you what Jessica's problems are. To be frank, that's none of your business."

"Of course it is," Drew hissed under his breath, trying not to become too loud and draw attention. "I want to know why she won't let me in. Scratch that--I _need _to know why she's pushing me away. Please, tell me."

"Well," Orin hesitated, arguing within herself, "I guess… that if you figured it out on your own, I wouldn't be telling you anything you don't need to know. If I maybe just… _help _to point you in the right direction. Technically, you'd exsisto instar is sicco vestri own."

"Right," Drew blinked, trying to keep up.

"Okay," she said suddenly, looking excited. He was reminded of a gossiping teenager. Then her expression turned into a scolding one. "What is one of your most famous quotes?"

"Uh, 'if it has to do with me, than it is impossible for anything to be wrong with it'?"

"No. Try once more."

"Um, let me see. 'I would rather die than use a public bathroom'?"

"Incorrect. One more time."

"How about, 'Drew Hitley doesn't fall for girls, girl fall for Drew Hitley'?"

"You are getting closer. By the way, that is very untrue."

He ignored her. "I care about no one but myself?"

"There it is! That one! Until you fell head-over-heels for Jessica, you cared about no one but yourself," she explained. Drew scowled. She was telling him things he already knew.

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Of course, I am going somewhere with this. When you first met her, you were nearly given a heart attack, were you not?"

"That's right. She gave me a stroke!"

"Predictable." Oh, no she didn't. She _did not _just call him predictable. "Don't interrupt," she ordered quickly. He groaned. "This made you quite determined, correct?"

"Yeah. And?"

"_And_, this made you decide, right then and there, that she would be your fan. Again, it was simply just another action to benefit _you_ and no one else." When he began to object, she held up a long finger. "I'm not finished. So, Jessica has known you for a while now, and the first impression was horrible. Don't you see? It's incredibly obvious!"

"It can't be _that _obvious! I've been trying for _months _to understand her. I've done everything but throw myself off of a bridge to understand why she doesn't fall all over me like everyone else."

"It's her life. Her experience has made her stronger… and weaker. All at once."

"You've lost me again."

"Drew Hitley, as long as she's known you, you've been self-absorbed, conceited, shallow, and a jerk. She is going to be repelled from people _particularly _like you."

"Explain," Drew huffed, incredibly impatient. He was about to storm out of there and forget the entire thing ever happened. She needed to _hurry up_.

"Don't leave," she suggested merely. "I know for a fact that you would regret it! You will be back later and I won't be here."

Drew was now glued to his seat, not daring to leave. He simply _had _to know the reason why Jessica refused him. That way he could fix it.

"The pain of losing her father…" Orin trailed off, shaking her head. "It was heart wrenching. I had to feel the pain to fully understand it. It scarred her, and that scar will always be there, no matter how faint. She became incredibly afraid of experiencing pain like that ever again, of every losing someone she cared about. That's why she has no friends. That is why she doesn't participate it school events. That is why her only friend is herself, so she can't get hurt."

"I would _never _dream of hurting her," Drew whispered, feeling guilt twist his stomach. The pain reached his eyes.

"_I _know that, and _you _know that," Madame Orin explained, "but _she _doesn't know that. Drew, she knows that you are in love with her. But she believes it is a simply fling. She doesn't think she is any different from any other girl you've ever become taken with. Jessica believes that you are still a heartless jerk, which you are not. Not anymore."

"Of course not," was all he could say. Is this what Jessica really thought of him? He'd prove her wrong, he'd prove them all wrong. He would if it was the last thing he ever did.

"Of course," she countered, "don't you see it _now_? She doesn't know you've changed. She dislikes you--more than she would a normal person--because, if she let you in, you seem to be the most likely to hurt her and walk away without glancing back. That was what the old Drew would have done."

He hated to think it, but that was true. He would have done that exact thing just two months ago.

"She knows, Drew. She knows that you love her, but she has no earthly idea of the _extent _of your emotions. You have to _prove _it to her. You have to prove to her that you're a different man and that you wouldn't hurt her like that. She is afraid of feeling that pain again. Make sure she knows you'd never inflict that pain upon her."

"I will," Drew said, his decision made hours ago. "I will if it's the last thing I do."

She nodded, satisfied, and released his hand. She looked squeamish.

"I am afraid I may have told you more than I meant to," she said uncomfortably. "You were supposed to figure that out on your own."

"It's fine, I don't mind," he shrugged. "But wait!" Drew stood out of his chair quickly. "How am I supposed to prove it to her? How do I make sure she knows that I love her because I love her, not because I want something that I can't have?"

Orin just smiled faintly and pushed him towards Jessica before whispering in his ear, "now _that _you will have to figure out on your own. Love is a funny thing, Drew. It matched the most unlikely pair."

**Sorry, I know that was short, but I thought that was the BEST line to end it on, didn't you? Don't worry, I am starting the next chapter right after I post this one! BTW, for future reference, the album is coming along GREAT!**

**~ChAnNyObSeSsEd _out_!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Alright, this is a comfort to everyone: that was the last of the fortune teller! She will appear in flashbacks, but other than that, she is no more! She was important in the story, but she has played her part.**

**Here is the next Chapter! Enjoy ;)**

Drew and Jessica walked out of Madame Orin's tent hastily, thanking her no more than necessary. She cried some things out to them in Latin that they could not understand--probably for the better. If they had, Drew would have broken out in a cold sweat and Jessica would have turned five different shades of red, head to toe.

Once they were a safe distance from the tent, Jessica felt a hand lay gently on the small of her back.

"Hey, Jessica," Drew said urgently, his hand closing around her wrist, "can I talk to you for a sec?" His expression was set and decided, which couldn't mean anything good--good for her, anyways. However, she felt she had no choice.

"Sure," she sighed, letting him drag her along to a less crowded area. They stopped at a vacant sitting space. The electric current was roaring and surging more powerfully than ever since they'd left the tent and Jessica was nearly knocked off of her feet by the intensity of it.

"Alright," Drew stuttered, taking a seat close to her. It was farther away than she would have expected--for the second time tonight, she mentally added. What was up with him? Not that she didn't appreciate the sudden recognition of personal space, but it was odd and strangely out of character. "I need to tell you something--no, ask you something. Nope, I am gonna tell _and _ask you something." Jessica gulped. Nope, definitely not good.

"Go ahead," she heard herself say. She didn't remember mentally deciding to say anything. Her nerves were getting the best of her.

Drew relaxed in his chair, his posture no longer rigid. He sighed and he stared at her for a long time, his brows furrowed while he bit his lower lip. His blue eyes stared into hers with an inhuman intensity. She internally slapped herself as she could feel a blush rising to her cheeks. Why, oh, why did his stare have to have this affect on her? She wished she could banish her blush for all of eternity! It gave her away too often. Drew grinned at her blush and self-frustrated expression, which made her color deepen.

"Uh," he started, his voice amused but incredibly nervous. He avoided eye contact now. He looked at the ground, twiddling his thumbs. His head snapped up suddenly, as if on an on-the-minute decision. "Okay, I am gonna stop beating around the bush _right now_. I am doing this all of the time, and you don't deserve that. I am going to come out and say it!" His chest puffed out proudly, courage flaming in his eyes. He looked into her wary eyes again, trying to convey a message without words. His courageous attitude dwindled away the longer he looked at her.

"Yeah?"

He hesitated and faltered completely. "How much are those Big Macks? I was curious 'cause I like 'em."

Jessica blinked a couple of times. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Three dollars," she said, her body relaxing.

"Oh."

"Yup."

"I think they taste… okay. I, uh," Drew told her, looking at her intently again. She tensed up. "I really _love them_, and I just will do anything for them, no matter what the cost." Then he added quickly, "oh, I mean, I will _pay_ anything for them."

"Right," Jessica narrowed her eyes yet again.

"And," he added, still not looking away, "I really want you to know I've changed."

"What?"

"My eating habits! Changed my eating habits."

"Okay…"

"Jessica," Drew mused, "I'm different now. I promise you, I'd never… uh… do anything to _hurt_--"

"Drew, we are still talking about burgers, right?"

He hesitated. "Right. Burgers."

Jessica thought she could detect an underlying meaning, but she wasn't certain. She could have sworn that he wouldn't have dragged her to an uncrowded place and stare into her eyes just to tell her that he actually liked a hamburger. That was absurd. It had to be something else.

_Okay, Drew, I'll play your game. _"Well, if you would, um, want people to believe that you've changed your… _eating habits_… then you need to prove yourself."

Drew jumped on that statement like a lion would jump upon it's prey. "Okay! I'll do anything to prove I _love _them. I'll stand up and confess my love right now. I'll get on the rooftops and scream it to the world!"

That left her speechless. Was he talking about…? No, no, it wasn't possible. Her mind was playing tricks on her, that was it. There was no way this was _real_.

"Um, that's going to the extremes," she laughed, her palms sweating.

"I don't care," he said stubbornly. "I'll do anything. _Anything_. Y--_they _are the most important thing to me."

"Well," Jessica countered, "how do you know that you won't just like them for a couple of weeks but then get sick of them? How do you know that you won't just throw them away like every other gir--piece of food you've said you loved?"

"Because I'm a different person than I was before I came here," he said simply but seriously. "I wish yo--people would realize that."

"Why do expect people to just suddenly believe you on such short notice?" she demanded. "Sorry, but just because the oh-so-perfect Drew Hitley says he changed his mind doesn't mean it's true."

"But it is," he pleaded. "Please realize that, Jessica. You have no idea how important you are to me."

"_What_?!"

"What? What did I say?"

"You said I had no idea how important _I_ was to you."

Drew was horror-struck. "No, I--I didn't say that. I said that… you have no idea how important _the burgers _are to me. You--you misunderstood me!"

"You did not say anything about a burger that time, Hitley. You slipped up," she objected. She'd never seen him like this before. She'd never seen him at a loss for words. Drew Hitley _always _had something to say about _everything_. Well, not this time.

A cold sweat started to form on his brow.

"You--no, you didn't hear right--"

"I heard right, Drew."

"No, Jessica! That's not what I meant to say!"

"Sure it is. It's what you meant to say but was trying to cover up because you chickened out."

"Stop! No, it's not."

"Admit it, Drew."

"Well, 'I'm not gonna admit something that is not true'," he quoted her mockingly. He crossed his arms stubbornly. Jessica gaped at him, angry.

"It's true, Drew! Just admit it."

"Admit what? There is nothing to admit! 'I love hamburgers'! There, I said it."

"Not that! I am talking about something else entirely and you know it."

"What, then?"

"Say it out loud, Drew. You've been trying to say it for days now."

"Say _what_?"

"That you lo--oh, no you don't! No! You _are not_ turning this around on me. I'm not saying it," she said ferociously. "You really wanna impress me? You really wanna blow me over the top? Then say it. Aloud. Get it off of your chest and _just say it_."

Drew looked at her incredulously. His eyes narrowed and he said something that he knew was a mistake from the moment it left his lips.

"Don't flatter yourself, Kramer."

Hurt welled up in her eyes. Her throat ached for multiple reasons--she didn't know why. Her teeth clenched and she bit her bottom lip with a force that was painful. Drew felt a wave of guilt drowning him. He just did it. What he'd promised multiple people, including himself, that he'd never do. He'd hurt her. He wanted to jump off of a cliff right about now.

"Jessica," he said quietly, "that--that was uncalled for. I--I'm so--"

"Sorry?" she asked accusingly. "You know what? That's not gonna work anymore, Drew. You can't just keep burning me like that and expect to get away with it by saying 'sorry'! You… you are so _shallow_!"

"I know."

"And, another thing! You--wait, what? You know?"

"Yep. I'm shallow, self-absorbed, conceited, a jerk, and care about no one but myself. At least, _I used _to be that way. But every now and then, old Drew comes back out."

"Obviously," Jessica muttered, crossing her arms.

Drew, now more than ever, wanted to reach out and comfort her. It was more than just his hormones this time. Now that he _knew_ he loved her, his mind, heart, and body all wanted the same thing. Drew wanted to pull her close, stroke her hair, hug her, whisper comforts in her ear, see her blush. His arms were halfway reached out before he realized what he was doing. His eyes darted to her face, seeing if she noticed. Sure enough, Jessica was looking at him like he was sprouting a second head.

"I…"

"Drew…"

"I know, I know. Sorry. Again," he said glumly. He started to pull his arms away.

"What are you doing?!"

"Uh, I'm pulling my arms back," he said obviously, embarrassed at saying aloud.

"Why?"

Drew's jaw dropped. To his utter bewilderment, she started _laughing_. A lot. She even snorted, making her laugh even more. Normally, Drew would have smiled and made her blush, but he was frozen in surprise. Did she just ask _why_? And sound… what was that, _sad_?

"W--w--w--what?"

"I asked why. Were you going to hug me, Drew?" she asked, sounding playful. His jaw dropped more, if that were possible. "Shut your mouth. Flies are going to fly in, then you'll choke on it, and you're no good to me dead."

Drew shook his head, as if trying to shake out bad thoughts.

"Are--are you serious? You… _want _me to hug you? Are you feeling okay?"

"No, not really. I thought that was why you reached out to hug me," she shrugged, her cheeks turning pink from smiling so much. Drew took action right then and there. He might never get another chance like this again. He stepped towards her and embraced her. The electric current flied, roared, surged, nearly over-powered.

Drew wrapped his arms around her, feeling ecstatic. How long he'd wanted to do this… it felt like everything he'd imagined times ten. It felt so good, so right, so sweet. His hormones were racing, his heart was thumping. He just wanted to make her happy… that's all that mattered. He squeezed her tightly, getting a strong whiff of her strawberry shampoo. To his surprise, she hugged him back. His thoughts were scattered. She smelled so good… she was _so close_… she was warm… she was beautiful… he was in love. Completely, irrevocably, totally, unconditionally, hopelessly in love.

Neither of them let go for a while. Neither of them wanted to let go first in fear that they would offend the other. It was because they were both so in shock. Drew, because it was everything he'd imagined and more. Jessica, because it was nothing like she'd imagined. She'd imagined it to be awkward and wrong. She'd imagined herself to hate it… absolutely despise it. On the contrary, it was quite the opposite. She didn't want to let go. It was nice… he was warm. She'd been trying to hide shivers all night, and his warm embrace felt so right. The chills left her body almost immediately. They were there, then they were gone. She could tell she'd stay warm all night long… the blood rushing to her face would ensure that. And to top it all off, he smelled really good. His jacket was rough, but it was warm and smelled like a mixture of leather and cologne. She shut her eyes and exhaled slowly. She felt light-headed.

"Drew?" she whispered uncertainly.

"Hmm?" he asked. If had been anyone else's voice, he wouldn't have been able to hear it.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" she asked. It sounded odd, even to her. Within two months, they'd gone from enemies to acquaintances. Then they'd gone from mere acquaintances to frenemies. From frenemies to somewhat-friends. Somewhat-friends to friends. Now it was friends with benefits. Or had they skipped a stage to something more? Jessica knew how he felt, and _he_ knew how he felt. But there was something neither of them really knew. The haunting question was: how did _Jessica _feel?

"Jessica," he breathed in her scent, "I… want to tell you something."

"Go ahead. For real this time," she said, realizing just this moment that she could feel his breath on her neck.

Drew closed his eyes and licked his lips nervously. "I _think _that--no, I _know_ that… I, uh, perhaps, might, maybe…it's conceivable…have feelings of some sort for you."

"It's conceivable?" She shocked him again. She sounded amused.

"I'm being incredibly subtle about it," Drew sighed. He slowly moved his head back a little until his mouth was right next to her left ear. "Actually," he whispered, feeling her shudder slightly under his arms--but it wasn't a bad shudder, "I think you would actually _rather_ I was subtle about it. I hope you know how much I am restraining myself at the moment."

Normally, that would make Jessica scold him or she would accuse him of being a pervert, but she knew he didn't mean it in that manner. In fact, she found it sweet. She giggled nervously. She kicked herself mentally. Since when did she giggle like that? She sounded like an idiot!

"Relax," he breathed in her ear, patting her back, "I think it's _adorable_."

She blushed furiously. God, she hated her stupid qualities she was born with! Why couldn't she just stand there _quietly _without giggling like a weirdo, and why couldn't her skin stay the color of a _normal human being's_? She guessed it couldn't be so bad if he found it cute… but how long could it stay cute and not turn into annoying? As if reading her thoughts, he pulled her closer as his hormones commanded.

"Stop doing that or I'm gonna do something incredibly stupid," he ordered, smiling sheepishly. Jessica stopped herself before she could let out another retarded giggle.

"Sorry," she whispered apologetically.

"Don't be."

_O to the M to the G_, the little voice in her head cried. _FINALLY! I was starting to get worried._

Jessica, for once in her life, let the tiny voice rant as much as it's little heart desired. She wasn't paying attention to it. She was a little distracted by the fact that Drew was stroking her hair. She thanked the good lord that she was having a fabulous hair day.

**Can you say AAAAAWWWW!!!!!! I MEAN, I'M THE ONE WHO WROTE IT AND I ALMOST WAS AS SHOCKED WHEN I READ OVER IT. HOLY CRAPOLA!!!!!!**

**~ChAnNyObSeSsEd **_**out**_**!**


	20. Chapter 20

**The reviews--especially on that last chapter--were really nice, and I want to say THANK YOU!!!! Just to clarify, when the voice in her head that said 'Finally! I was starting to get worried', it meant that nothing significant was happening for a while and the voice was glad something finally happened! And a lot of ppl say this is similar to Starstruck, but I started making this WAY before anyone ever knew about that, so yeah. I am almost wanting to show all of you the album right now, but I am not gonna do that! I have to wait until the story is over so all of you can see how the songs relate. Alright… here we go!**

Jessica exhaled slowly into Drew's shoulder. She didn't know exactly why she was sighing, but she had a suspicion. She was halfway sighing out of contention, happiness, and she was halfway sighing out of frustration with herself. She wasn't supposed to be enjoying this so much… she _shouldn't _be enjoying this so much, but nevertheless, she did. Was that wrong? Was it really so wrong? She wanted to say yes, but Drew's warm hand running it's way through her hair made her want to say otherwise. Her mind and thoughts were fading in and out as she tried to gather her scattered brain. However, right when she was almost feeling halfway conscious, he would do something else that would make her go blank again.

"Drew," she said, her voice sounding weak in her own ears, "I don't know why, but I feel like you aren't being completely honest."

Drew's hand froze where it was and she felt his body go rigid.

"Really?"

"Uh, yeah. I might just be imagining things, but--"

"No," he cut her off, "you're right, you're right. I told you, but perhaps it was a little _too _subtle. Um, you--you _really _sure you wanna know?"

Jessica sighed again as she thought it through.

"Yes," she nodded, "I'm sure. I'm pretty sure."

"Okay," he said hesitantly. "You really want to know how I'm feeling?"

"Duh," Jessica laughed nervously.

"All right. The way I am really feeling…" he trailed off, resuming to gently stroke her hair. There went her thoughts again. "The truth… I, uh, Jessica. Jessica, I have never tried this hard before--for _anyone_--and I am terrified."

Jessica was shocked. He was _scared_? _Terrified_? That was the last thing she'd expected to hear. Of course, tonight she was hearing a lot of things she hadn't expected to hear. And doing a lot things she hadn't expected to be doing.

"Seriously?" Jessica asked dubiously.

"Seriously," he said, sounding relieved. Things were going better than he'd planned, but it would be best not to let his guard down. He could unintentionally mess things up with Jessica like he often did without realizing it. He needed to be conscious of _every _word that escaped the confines of his mind.

"Why are you terrified?"

"I thought that went without explanation."

"Sorry. Good point," Jessica agreed. Her thoughts were flooding back to her slowly, vividly. She began to wonder, how long had they been hugging? She wanted to ask this aloud, as to make the situation awkward and let go, but for the first time, the part of her head saying 'no' was dominant. Without realizing what she was doing until it was too late, Jessica stepped closer to Drew until it was impossible to be any closer and rested her head on his shoulder. He froze momentarily in pleasant surprise, then shifted his head until hers fit into a perfect little space on the side of his neck. She suddenly felt even warmer than before, his body almost strangely warm compared to the chilly night air. And to add onto the pleasant qualities, his smell was almost becoming addictive. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't stop breathing in his strange smell combination of cologne and leather.

"Cold?" Drew asked, a half-smirk half-smile in his voice. Jessica was in too much of a trance to become angry, she hated to admit.

She didn't really answer, just giggled nervously. Oops. "Sorry. I'm not supposed to giggle, am I?"

"Nope," he whispered playfully, lifting his hand to the back of her head and ran his fingers through her dark locks. "So, what's up with sudden snuggling?"

Jessica's heart skipped a beat in embarrassment and she could feel the hot blush arriving.

"Uh…" she blushed furiously, "I don't really know. It's cold, I guess."

"It's cold? You _guess_?" he repeated. Yep, there was definitely a happy smirk there.

"Yes, I guess," she said definitely. She couldn't continue speaking because her thoughts were scattered once again. Drew's hand was still stroking her hair, but his lips had moved down to her ear again, causing her breath to quicken involuntarily.

"I hate to say it," he whispered, "trust me, I _really _do, but maybe we should quit. I mean, people are kind of starting to stare." Jessica's brows furrowed.

"Who cares?" she asked indignantly, once again surprising herself with her tone. She realized she didn't want to move. She _really _didn't want to move.

Drew chuckled, sounding like he was in an unbelievably good mood. His left hand moved from her hair down to her cheek, which now was redder than a tomato. It burned hotter and hotter under his gentle touch. His head moved back and leaned down slightly until they were eye-to-eye.

"Relax, Kramer," he chuckled, "no one said we _had _to."

Jessica didn't reply at first, assuming her answering blush was enough. "Yeah."

"You _never _stop blushing, do you?" he asked, his eyes burning and brilliant. His sunglasses were resting on his edge of his nose again. The look on Jessica's face said plainly that she was making an effort to stop blushing, even though it was something completely out of her control. "All I did was ask a question! I didn't say I wanted you to _stop_. Actually, I'd prefer you didn't."

"I'd prefer I _did_," she said quietly, embarrassed. Drew laughed again, burying his face in her hair, inhaling her equally addicting scent. She didn't mind one bit. However, Jessica froze and was as still as a statue when she felt something besides his cheek touch her hair. Was it… his _lips_? Naw, it couldn't be. She needed to stop daydreaming like that. It wouldn't do her any good.

Drew, for not the first time, had a strange but powerful impulse to pull her closer--although that was quite impossible at the moment. He knew what he wanted to do… but if he tried now, here, at the moment, it wouldn't be right. The look on her face he imagined if he tried to do what he craved was the only thing that held him back. He was definitely ready, but she wasn't. A first kiss had to be special and perfectly timed, or it ended up meaning quite the opposite than what it was supposed to represent. After one more quick inhalation of her strawberry smell, Drew moved his head down until he was eye-to-eye again. A tempting smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Question: are we gonna say here all night--which I'm perfectly fine with, by the way--" he grinned, "--or are we going to get on _any _rides? To be honest, I was looking forward to the rollercoaster. I've never been on one before. Although, this is equally as thrilling."

Jessica tried extremely hard to ignore the crimson covering her entire face. "No, no, you should get your rollercoaster and--whoa, hold up. You've _never _been on a rollercoaster before? Seriously?"

"Nope, no rollercoaster. _Ever_," he replied casually.

"That's horrible! Who raised you?!"

"Various people," Drew shrugged, talking about it as if he were talking about the weather. Jessica was hit by a pang of sympathy.

"Well, you aren't missing your first coaster. The carnival closes in an hour, so we probably ought to get going." Neither of them missed the hint of regret in her voice.

"Okay," Drew said, but the strength of his grip around her didn't waver. She raised her eyebrows.

"Drew?"

"Hmm?"

"That means now."

"Oh, right! My bad," he said quickly, his arms uncoiling from their comfortable position. He stuck his hands in his pockets before he tried to do something like put one around her shoulder or her waist. That, no doubt, would earn a shocked glare from her.

Jessica wrapped a piece of stray hair behind her ear and crossed her arms in an effort to stay warm. The contrast of the night air and Drew's body heat was shockingly big.

"Drew," Jessica said suddenly, "how long has it been since we've eaten?"

"Uh, an hour or so. Why?" he asked, unsure what that had to do with anything. Was she trying to change the subject to cover an awkward silence?

"Because if we are riding the rollercoaster, then we at least need to wait an hour after eating before riding."

"Why? I thought that was swimming."

"And rollercoaster riding."

"Oh. Do you barf or something?"

Jessica didn't say anything but raised her eyebrows. That was a pretty dumb question. "Yes," she said slowly, "but I don't want to throw up all over my outfit."

"Ooh, really?" he asked, sounding skeptical. "You never occurred to me as someone who cared about clothes."

"I don't," she said, "but I kind of like this sweater. It's new. It'd be a shame to ruin it and make my mom mad."

"True," he agreed, peeking at her out of the corner of his eye. "You do look… nice." He had a much different word in mind. Jessica thought he stared a little _too _long.

"Um, thanks, I guess," she said sheepishly. "So, I think our timing is okay. You ready for your first coaster?"

"It depends. Does it have loops?"

"Of course."

"Well then, yes."

Jessica flashed him a smile and led a bewildered Drew to the rollercoaster. It was actually not very far away. It was only a short walk away from the _McDonald's_ food stand. The large woman waved at them as they ran by, sending a blush to Jessica's cheeks when she realized how smug she looked. Had she seen? Nah, she couldn't have… right?

"Two," Jessica said a little too eagerly to the person in charge of the line. The skinny boy peered at her through his thick glasses. He rubbed his acne-covered chin.

"Okay," he said, his voice sounding a little nasally, "but on one condition."

Jessica was too excited to notice his poor attempt at smooth talk. Drew, however, was extremely aware. He balled his hands into fists without realizing it.

"Whatever," she answered absentmindedly.

"You. Me. Dinner and maybe a chess tournament," he grinned, revealing small teeth covered with braces. Jessica's jaw dropped.

"Uh, I--"

"I don't think so," Drew cut in, anger pulsing through him. Thank god he was wearing the sunglasses, Jessica thought, or his piercing, angry eyes would have scared the boy to death. She could feel his glare under the dark panes of the glass-like plastic, and evidently so could the boy. The unfortunate soul backed up a step but didn't waver his proposition.

"Well, I do," the nerd fired back, not sounding the least bit threatening. "The beautiful lady here can--"

"Hey!" Drew exclaimed, furious. Jessica was surprised steam wasn't coming out of his ears. "_I_ get to call her beautiful, no one else. Is that clear?"

"I don't see why," the boy said, stepping back again. "I--I can call her anything I--"

"You call her _anything_ and I swear, you won't have any teeth left to speak," Drew hissed, advancing with his fist held high. The only thing that stopped him was Jessica's arms around his body holding him back.

"_No_," she managed to say, "no fighting! It's--it's embarrassing." She'd never had boys fighting over her before. This was definitely a situation that she wasn't accustomed to.

"There wouldn't be an indisputable issue if Mr. Violent here let his blood pressure drop," the boy muttered.

"I warned you if--!"

"Drew, whatever your name is, stop!" Jessica sighed. She wasn't paying attention to the fact that her arms were still wound tightly around Drew's torso. "I just want to ride the frickin' coaster, alright? Can we not just do what we came to do, Drew?"

Drew fumed but her touch was making his temper decrease rapidly. He eyed the dorky boy with hatred.

"Fine," he groaned. "But he better stop hitting on you or I--"

"Drew."

"Right. Sorry," he apologized. He directed his attention back towards the boy in charge of the line. "Two. _Please_," he grimaced, icily polite. "_My _girl and I would like to take a ride."

The boy's eyes darted glumly back and forth between the two, and with a sigh, let them in. Jessica thanked him hesitantly and walked ahead of Drew before he had an excuse to threaten the line manager again. She couldn't believe how easily jealous he'd gotten. It was absurd. And what had he called her? _His _girl? She found it completely infuriating--and a little sweet. But mostly infuriating.

Jessica looked up at him subtly and found that his jaw was still clenched even though the boy was far away. Drew's fists were balled, his knuckles glowing white. Her fury faded slightly, but nevertheless, she didn't like being labeled. It made her feel… not tied down, but… just… _labeled_. She wasn't used to boys paying her any attention, much less becoming jealous. She couldn't see herself as anything desirable.

Jessica didn't want to bring up the awkward subject, so she decided against mentioning it. Too bad for her, Drew took the liberty.

"Sorry about that," he muttered, obviously just as embarrassed and surprised by his reaction as Jessica. His cheeks turned the lightest shade of pink. Until now, Jessica had never really understood how Drew found her blush appealing, but now she knew. She found herself thinking his blush was extremely becoming. It wiped her slate clean of any feelings of aggravation or anger.

"You can't help it," she replied, realization of that very intense truth washing over them both. Her own blush graced her cheekbones. He watched her out of the corner of his eye appraisingly. Would she ever even understand the _beginning _of the attraction he felt towards her?

"Hmm," he merely said. He wasn't ready to admit the sense of commitment he felt yet. It was a little much…

"So, are you ready?" Jessica asked him, desperate to change the subject. To her relief, the rollercoaster's connected cars were coming into view ahead of them.

"What?" Drew asked, not knowing that she was talking about the cars. "Ready for what?! I…"

"Drew, relax! Are you ready for the _rollercoaster_? It's right in front of us."

"Oh, oh, yeah, the coaster. Right. I--I was talking about that, too, of course. Pffft, what else would I be talking about?" he stammered. "Ready? Let's go!" He grabbed her elbow and pulled her along to the nearest bright red cart. Dark yellow bolts streaked across the side of the coaster's cart in all directions. Jessica looked at the lightning like it was saving her life.

With an awkward exhale, they both realized the small spot they each had to squeeze into. The red cart was relatively small, with _just _enough space to seat them both. Neither of them could use the excuse that there wasn't enough room, because it was clearly made for two. However, the solo seats were a little small. Things would be snug. Well… this would be interesting.

Jessica took a small step back and motioned forward with her hand.

"Ladies first," she grinned.

"Oh, ha ha, I'm dying. Oh, so funny. My sides are cracking," he muttered sarcastically.

"Your sides cracking aren't my problem. It's not my fault somebody needs to lay off the Big Macks."

Drew actually smiled at that one. He looked at her with the utmost want in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. He stepped back and motioned forward with his hand.

"No, seriously, Kramer," he smiled, "ladies first. You get in first."

"No, it's alright. You can get in first."

"Nope, you first. I _insist_."

"I _decline_."

The corners of his mouth pulled down slightly. "You can never just do something I say without contradiction, can you? Come on, I am trying to be a gentleman here."

"Oh, my gosh, since when?"

"Since now! Come on! Just get in or the ride's going to start without us," he objected.

The stubborn part of Jessica came out without her permission. "No. You."

He groaned. But then, to her surprise, a playful grin tugged at the corners of his lips. The smile was one of weeks before, of an almost forgotten memory. "Either get in or I'll _make_ you get in."

"What?" Jessica questioned, wanting to know what was going on inside of his confusing mind.

"Either get in on your own or I'll _carry _you,"Drew raised his eyebrows, wondering if she remembered what he was hinting at. He doped deep down that she did, since the memory of his car and the rainy afternoon was something definitely heavily imprinted in his memories.

Jessica's face was scrutinizing, that phrase sounding vaguely familiar to her. Where was that from? It was _so_ familiar. Why did it remind her of rain? What did that have to with rain? She skipped to the next image in her mind, which was an automobile. What did that have to do with a car, too? Rain? _Cold _rain. Car? _White convertible_. The puzzle pieces nudged together. Instead of her face relaxing and replying, her flush she was beginning to think was going to become regular presented itself.

"I was wondering if you were going to get it within the next hour," Drew commented, smug. Her deepening color made his smirk ten times more pronounced. "'Cause you know, after about an hour or so of waiting, the joke loses it's effect."

"Very funny," Jessica mumbled, irritated. She swept past him and sat down on the farthest leather seat within a car. She didn't know why she would have had a reason to hope otherwise, but he took a seat beside her, incredibly happy she didn't have any other choice but to be so physically close to him.

"So, you remember?" he asked, obviously trying to provoke her. He didn't know why, but making her angry was almost as fun as watching her blush. So, while they waited for the ride to start, he made the decision he would do both. It wouldn't be too hard to achieve a beyond satisfying result.

"Mmm," she muttered refusing to give him the satisfaction of bringing up the obviously touchy subject. Her poorly thought-out plan was to just respond with 'mm's and 'hmm's. Out of a force of pure habit, she crossed her arms.

"Oh, don't be like that," he grinned. "I know you know _exactly _what I am talking about. Like you'd forget!"

"Mmm," Jessica mumbled.

"You're cute when you're trying to be stubborn," he chuckled in her ear. Her pulse increased ten-fold. She reminded herself of her plan before she buffered. She just let the rosy color she hated so much overtake most of her face. Her lips stayed pursed and looked ahead, refusing to look at him. The results would be disastrous if she got caught up in his glimmering jewels he had for eyes. "And the fact you're as red as a beat doesn't help my level of self-control, I suppose. I thought I told you to stop doing that," he breathed playfully. She was able to feel his breath on her ear. Crimson spread from her hairline to her chin. "Or you could just keep going," Drew laughed, pulling his arm out of it's small area of space and putting it around the back of her seat. "If you want to tempt me, go ahead."

She sucked in a breath sharply through her nose and sighed, her lips refusing to stop pursing. She clenched her teeth in anger at the intense light feeling that swept through her body when the hand of the arm that was around her began playing with her hair.

"Drew," she hissed through bared teeth, "you might want to hold on to the safety rail instead."

As if on cue, the train of cars lurched forward uneasily and slowly started moving forward.

"Why would I do that?"

"You don't have to," Jessica shrugged. "I just assumed you wouldn't want to fall off."

His arm halfway lifted itself from behind her but then snapped back into place.

"Clever," Drew said, "but not clever enough. Nice try, Kram--"

Suddenly, the carts shook with a severity that even Jessica hadn't been expecting. With a girlish shriek, Drew's arms were suddenly wrapped around the safety rail with as much strength as they could muster. Jessica laughed with an edge of deviousness.

"What was that?!" she giggled.

"What was what?"

"Was that you _screaming_? Seriously?"

"First of all, that was not me. And second of all, I was just taken by surprise."

"Right. Not you. Just a little invisible five year-old girl right behind us, right?"

"Shut up!"


	21. Chapter 21

**Aw, thanks for the sweet reviews everybody! I really appreciate them! I 3 it when you review, and please PLEASE keep reviewing! It helps inspire me, so the more reviews you write, the faster you will get the next chapter. LOL hope you like this chapter! Here we go!**

The only reason Drew was able to keep the smallest amount of calm in his body was because of Jessica's delighted laughter coming from close beside him. It reassured him that he was alive, wasn't dreaming, and that he hadn't fallen off. But most importantly, that _Jessica _hadn't fallen off. He was nearly driven out of his mind by the fact she kept her arms above herself the entire ride. He was nearly scared to death when they were making sharp turns and his imagination started playing tricks on him, like the time he could have sworn she had just fallen over the edge of the car.

As if the normal tracks weren't bad enough, he thought he'd kill himself on the loops. To his utter surprise, he didn't fall out when the cars went upside down. He guessed it had something to do with the speed, but he was mostly just watching Jessica to make sure she was okay. He guessed he was being clearly overly-protective, but he loved her. If she was hurt in _any way _whatsoever, he'd go insane. The rollercoaster was just asking for an injury, and from then on, he swore to hate rollercoasters to the bitter end.

"Wasn't that amazing?!" Jessica laughed as they pulled back into the boarding area. Drew tried to keep his voice level since there were at least twenty people waiting for a turn. Why they would want to get onto that deathtrap he would never know, but he'd never get on one again. He would certainly not let _Jessica _get on one while he was around, for the sake of his sanity.

"I don't know if that's the right word exactly," he squeaked, his chest heaving up and down. He felt like he'd just been punched painfully hard in the stomach. He wasn't aware of how high-pitched his voice was, but Jessica was certainly alerted.

"Are you alright?" she asked seriously, her smile fading.

"_You _are asking _me_?" he questioned, sounding more accusing than he'd meant. "Seriously? _You _are asking _me_? That was horrible! That is a deathtrap on tracks, I swear. I am _never _doing that again, even if my life depends on it!"

"Did you get scared?" Jessica smirked.

"Yes! I was terrified!" he yelled, not noticing some of the stares he earned from some of the waiting passengers nearby. "I thought we were going to die! I thought _you _were going to die."

"Drew," she said soothingly, "it's just a carnival ride. Calm down. We are okay. I'm okay."

"Yeah, but you could have been hurt, Jessica! You were acting like an idiot and waving your arms above your head the entire time!"

"That's what everyone does!" she said indignantly, her concern transforming to disdain. "These things are _safety checked _by specialists, Drew. They make sure it's safe. And don't call me an idiot! I'm not the one chickening out on a ride I've seen six year-olds go on!"

Drew gaped at her. How dare she! _No one _calls Drew Hitley a chicken and gets away with it! He was extremely angry with her. How could she sit there and insult him when he was just concerned for her safety? The nerve Jessica had sometimes… it was infuriating! Most of the time it was adorable, but now he was about to lose his mind! Well, he'd rather be a chicken than stupidly putting himself in a life-threatening position unlike _someone_. But still… he wasn't a chicken! He was Drew Hitley--the invincible, the strong, the incredibly handsome, the immune to everything--except rollercoasters.

"Well, excuse me for being concerned about you!" he spat, climbing out of the car with surprising speed considering he felt like he was about to puke. His face paled and gained a sort of greenish tint. Of course, by now, he was almost out of the coaster complex and had a running, out of breath Jessica trailing after him. He didn't know how he did it, but he managed to find a bathroom quickly and slammed the door behind him. He leaned over the toilet, his head spinning round and round. Jessica waited patiently outside of the door, her hair sticking in every direction, earning odd glances from passersby. She didn't care. She felt extremely guilty. Although she still thought he was acting silly, her rage, like it often did around Drew, dwindled away. It was oddly silent for a popular carnival, she realized. That was when Jessica noticed that the crowds were drifting towards the exits. Was it time to leave already?

"Drew," she began hesitantly, "are you okay? I'm--I'm sorry." She was positive that he was still mad at her. For some reason, it bothered Jessica. Usually things were reversed. She crossed her arms, the chilly wind rushing upon her as if in punishment for her rash words. He never answered.

_Is he okay?_ she thought, biting her nails. She wanted to knock, but she didn't want him to get madder than he was currently. Did he just want alone time? She didn't hear anything. The least he could do was let her know that he wasn't passed out on the floor or something so she could breathe.

"Drew, please, say something," she requested, trying not to sound too desperate. "Let me know you haven't fainted or something. Trying not to invade your privacy or anything here." She knocked again. This time a muffled groan answered. "Oh, my god. Drew, you aren't gonna pass out, are you?"

"Nope," a weak voice answered. She sighed in relief.

"Sit down or something," she exclaimed directions through the closed door, "or maybe lean against the wall! Take long, deep breaths! Relax! Put your head between your legs! No, wait, don't do that! That makes things worse. Um, just--"

"I'm just not gonna listen to you, if that's okay," a voice said as the door opened slowly. A pale, distraught Drew appeared in the doorway. He had sweat on his brow that Jessica wiped away with the back of her hand without thinking. She bit her lip.

"Oh, god, you're burning up," she whispered frantically. "Drew, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you a chicken. You were just being abnormally sweet… something you've done a lot tonight, for some reason. I _was _being stupid."

Out of nowhere, his face lit up with a shockingly sudden brilliance. His classic smile spread across his face as he stuck his hands into his pockets and leaned against the doorframe. His face was incredibly smug.

"Well, as long as you admit it," Drew shrugged, watching her reaction with a wide smile. "Calm down, Kramer, I'm not gonna have to go to the ER."

"You--" Jessica gaped, pointing a weak finger at him, "you… you're okay?"

"'Course I'm okay," he said obviously, adjusting his jacket. "I got over the sickness right after the ride pulled to a stop."

"You are unbelievable!" Jessica raged, throwing her hands in the air. "You have some _sick _sense of humor, you know that? Don't do that ever again! Do you have _any _idea how bad you scared me when you weren't answering?!"

"Yes, actually," he said pointedly. "Now you know how I felt the whole five minutes we were on that ride."

"That is completely different!"

"Is it, Jessica? Is it really?"

Her mouth hung open, fury radiating from her body. However, she couldn't seem to force any sound to come out.

"That's what I thought," he said triumphantly. "Now that I think we've both had our fair share of experiences tonight, I think it's time to go." He glanced pointedly over at the crowds of people pouring out of the carnival grounds in large apparent mounds.

"Don't ever--"

"Do that again, yeah, yeah, yeah," he said, shooing it away with his hand. "Don't worry, I won't. I am an actor, so it wasn't hard to make it convincing. It was just to get a point across." His eyebrows raised as he surveyed her with sudden intensity. "Were you really _that _worried?"

"Yes!" she cried before she could stop herself.

"Aw, Jessica," he mused, at her side before she could blink, "I'm okay." Drew's sapphire eyes almost seemed to shine through the intricate dark panes. He put his arm around her shoulders, ignoring her obvious resistance. She was too angry with him to want to cuddle at the moment. Wait… did she really just think that? _Cuddling_? Her mind was going into the gutter, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. He had her on the hook, now all he had to do was finish reeling her in.

"Mmm," she muttered angrily, trying to shrug his arm off.

"Come on, Jessica, don't be mad," Drew pleaded. "I was just trying to make a point. I didn't mean to scare you like that. I'm sorry."

"Whatever," she snapped.

"Jessica--"

"I know, Drew. Just an alone moment, please," she said calmly, her voice obviously restrained. With so much regret it was almost painful, Drew removed his arm from around her, the electric current stopping. She stepped back until they were about two feet apart. That felt better… kind of. How could she explain that she wanted his arm around her but she didn't at the same time? She took a deep breath and started to cool down. The two walked side-by-side, about two feet apart, all the way to the exit. Drew sighed, looking over at her. Was she really that mad? She usually would tolerate it if he tried to touch her now, but she was refusing contact. Contact that they both knew sent an electrifying current through both of them--a current they were starting to grow addicted to like a drug.

Jessica refused to let Drew open her door for her. She slammed into her seat and, in turn, slammed the car door. He sighed, extremely depressed, and climbed slowly into the driver's side. His sapphires for eyes tried extremely hard not to look at her so she wouldn't feel pressured, but didn't succeed. He wasn't able to go five seconds without glancing over. Their eyes met for a split second and they instantly looked away. Drew cranked the car and the engine purred to life.

Drew turned the knobs and pushed the buttons necessary to start up the heater. "So," he started uncomfortably, "are you just wanting to go home now, or--?"

"Where else would we go?" Jessica asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Oh, I don't know," he said, his fingers tapping the steering wheel nervously. Why was he so anxious? Was he _that _desperate for her forgiveness? Jessica seemed to be thinking the same thing. "I didn't know if you were hungry again or anything…"

"Okay," he said remorsefully. "To your house, then."

The ride back to Jessica's house was filled with deathly silence. Drew was constantly checking her never-changing facial expressions. She had to remind him about three different times to keep his eyes on the road. When an embarrassed blush would rise to his cheeks, she had to force herself to look away. She couldn't be charmed at the moment, not now. She was supposed to be mad at him.

Jessica stared out of the window into the dark trees, which were just a blur at the forty-five mile per hour pace at which she was moving. Occasionally, the moon would peek at her through the gaps in the dark firs and pines. She took a deep breath and sighed, knowing that Drew was searching for any possible meaning to what a sigh could mean inside of his complicated brain she would never be able to fully understand. Just when she thought he was going to be sweet he went and pulled something like that. Speaking of sweet…

The images revolved in her head, as if they were on a slideshow projection. Each one passed by within fractions of seconds, but it was like she could see each one more vividly than the previous. To her aggravation, they all had something in common. Drew's sparkling ocean blue eyes, the way it felt when he touched her, the chills that went down her spine when she could feel his breath on her ear. His silky, smooth voice that he used whenever they were having one of those unnamable, untamable moments they had at completely random times. His warm hand working it's way through her soft, dark hair. There was unmistakable thrill she got that came piggybacked onto the electrical current. That's when she decided she would have one more before the night was over. She and Drew were both becoming addicted to the electric sparks.

After what seemed like forever, the car finally pulled up into the small, concrete driveway of Jessica's small house. This time, Jessica allowed him to get out first and open the passenger door for her. Drew was extremely suspicious. He hadn't noticed any change in her expression in the car. Oh, well. He'd see soon enough, he had a feeling that was certain. As they walked up the sidewalk leading to the front door, Jessica let him walk as close to her as he wished. After a couple of seconds, he inched closer cautiously. When he found that she was perfectly fine with it, he closed the space between them. He was still cautious, however, and didn't take his hands out of his pockets. They stopped after they stepped under the dim orange porch light underneath the wooden awning.

They turned to each other, both silent. However, oddly enough, the silence was not awkward. Jessica looked into his sparkling blue sapphires bravely. She, for the first time, let herself get lost in them. She sunk hopelessly, thoughtlessly, into his eyes. Jessica stepped closer until they were in the exact same position they had been earlier that night. His head was leaned down until they were eye-to-eye, his forehead touching hers. The electrical current swarmed and charged the atmosphere around them. His hand that had been stroking her hair traced her cheekbone lightly. Drew's hormones were bouncing off of the wall, all of them screaming one thing. But although his mind, heart, body, and everything else was telling him to kiss her, he couldn't bring himself to do it. What if she wasn't ready? It would ruin everything. Did he really want to risk it all right here, right now?

However, his testosterone didn't give up that easily. He had to do _something _to answer the pleas coming from inside of him and from Jessica's eyes. Drew's right arm wound itself around her waist for the first time, a feeling of great satisfaction overwhelming him when she didn't object in the least. He pulled her closer until it was impossible to be closer. With his left hand placed gingerly on her cheek and his right arm wound around her firmly, he leaned in. He shut his eyes, as did she. Jessica felt his lips trace her cheekbone as her mind went completely blank. His breath still smelled like mouthwatering spearmint. Drew's full lips stopped at the top of her forehead and kissed it lightly. Jessica felt light-headed. That's when some voice somewhere in her conscious was reminding her to breathe. As it turns out, she'd been holding her breath the entire time without realizing it.

Drew buried his face in her hair and pressed his lips against her delectable-smelling hair with care. He breathed in a lungful of her sweet, addicting scent and kissed her forehead once more. The sensational feelings that were sweeping through both of them made them wonder… but, no. He couldn't risk it. He was lucky enough as it was that she wasn't pushing him away right now. Jessica's hands, which had been resting lightly on Drew's chest, for the first time, worked up enough courage to move. They moved up over his expensive jacket that practically radiated the smell she was becoming addicted to like an illegal drug. She felt like she shouldn't be doing this, like she would be caught at any moment, but she didn't care. The sensation she felt was a high, flying feeling. It made her feel so care-free and happy.

Her hands traced the contours of his jacket, her eyes never leaving his. Jessica's palms rubbed his jacket momentarily and then continued their journey up to his shoulders. Once they were there, she wrapped her arms around his neck. She stood on her tip-toes (he chuckled at that) and pressed her lips against his burning cheek. To her utter befuddlement, she wasn't blushing. It was amazing how perfectly natural she felt in this position, considering that if she could see herself right now she'd faint from embarrassment. As if reading her thoughts, the left corner of Drew's mouth pulled up into a crooked, tempting smile. His forehead leaned against hers again. Their eyes had never left the other's the whole time. To be honest, Jessica was almost _angry _with herself for not blushing, hoping that would push him over the edge that he seemed to be tottering on. What was going on? Some form of internal conflict?

Drew's thumb drew light circles on her cheek absentmindedly.

"Drew?" she asked, her voice a whisper. He grinned.

"Hmm?"

"Are you terrified _now_?"

He chuckled, quickly kissing her cheek. "Extremely."

For the first time since they'd gotten out of the car, she frowned. "Why?"

"No, no, it's not _that _kind of terrified," Drew said quickly, his voice silky smooth on purpose. Sure enough, her panic started to fade, but her determination remained strong. "Terrified as in, I'm not sure exactly what to do."

"It seems like you're doing okay to me," Jessica giggled nervously. There was that stupid giggle. And why the heck did she say that aloud? What was this? Some cheesy chick flick? She was ruining the moment, she just knew it!

"Mmm." The sound came from his throat. His lips were approximately two inches from her own, their eyes half-closed in a dream-like state, but still gazing into one another's. "I told you, if you keep going that I will end up doing something really stupid." That caused the blush to arrive right on time, her cheek burning underneath his hand. She bit her bottom lip slightly. "Stop being so self-conscious," he breathed, their lips still exactly apart two inches on the mark. "You really don't see yourself clearly at all, Jessica. It's lovely." His hand moved from her cheek to her hair again, his finger winding themselves in her dark locks. Jessica was feeling light-headed again and realized that she had, once again, stopped breathing. Drew noticed her quick inhalation of breath and laughed nonchalantly. "That's right, breathing is kind of important."

"Shut up," she muttered, crimson red washing her cheeks. He chuckled, amused, and leaned in again. His slightly open lips traced her cheek, went down to her jaw as Jessica's heart literally stopped then picked up the pace double-time, and stopped and the very last part of skin before her lips.

"I'm gonna tell you something right here, right now," Drew whispered against her skin. "I need to stop being a… chicken… and just say it."

_Three little words, Drew_, Jessica thought, her pulse hammering relentlessly.

"I realized tonight," he continued, "that I had feelings for you, and I let you know. But you need to know something else. They are more than just mere feelings. _So _much more." His arm around her waist tightened, as if he was scared someone was going to snatch her away from him. "Jessica Kramer, I'm finally going to say it. Since you don't seem to mind _this_," he said, referring to their current position, "I am hoping that you will be alright with it."

"I'm all ears," Jessica commented, her arms tightening around his neck. He smiled even wider.

"Jessica Kramer, I… I love you," Drew whispered nervously, but his voice was full of emotion. "So much. I am hopelessly, irrevocably, completely, unconditionally, and totally in love with you."

Jessica sighed happily. Hearing him say those three fateful words out loud was even better than she'd ever imagined possible. That's when something escaped her mouth automatically that she hadn't even remember deciding she would say.

"I love you, too," Jessica murmured. Drew's eyes widened but he, thankfully, did not pull away. The genuine surprise in his crystal blue eyes was almost painful. Was he really that surprised? Jessica was actually fairly surprised herself, but she supposed that _deep _down she'd known it all along.

"Really?" he asked. He almost sounded skeptical. That hurt. "Jessica, don't feel pressured to say that--"

"I'm not," she said definitely, looking him straight in the eye. "I feel the exact same way."

Something about her final tone convinced him. Drew's mouth moved slowly, ever so slowly, over the slight area of skin directly beside her lips and he pecked it fondly. He wanted to kiss her so badly, to feel her lips against his own. He wanted it almost more than anything in the world. But, for some reason, he felt like it wasn't the time. He didn't know why, though. They were alone, he had just confessed his love for her and she, shockingly, had been holding back the same feelings. They were wrapped in each other's arms under a single light. The only thing separating their lips was two inches of air. It would be so easy, so simple, but for some reason… it felt wrong. He took the hand that was wound in her hair and pressed one finger against her lips.

"Later, I promise," he swore, kissing her forehead gingerly, savoring the moment. With intense regret, they unwound themselves awkwardly. He took a step back, twirling his car keys on one finger. He smiled sheepishly. "I'll see you… when?"

"School on Monday, I guess," she shrugged, trying to act casual, although she had to constantly remind herself to keep breathing.

"Only a day," he sighed, relieved. "So, um, I'll see you then."

"Alright," she nodded, taking a step towards his car. The awkward atmosphere suddenly disappeared and turned into utter seriousness.

"I love you," Drew said proudly.

"Love you, too," Jessica smiled. Drew, fighting back his hormones, winked at her and turned towards his car. It felt like he was still holding her. He could feel where her heat had left a section on his jacket warm. He exhaled slowly and smelled his hand. It smelled just like her strawberry shampoo. He smiled to himself and felt his cheek where she had kissed him. It was still burning, still hot.

Wow, what a night.

**Okay, I tried to make it as romantic as possible! Sorry if it got too gushy or too cliché. Hope you enjoyed it, anyways!**

**~ChAnNyObSeSsEd **_**out**_**!**


	22. Chapter 22

**You don't have to say it, I know. That last Chapter was SUPER fluffy. If you liked the fluff, good! If you didn't, I'm sorry. Here is chapter 22!**

Jessica watched as Drew's convertible lights faded into the chilly night. She blinked a couple of times, trying to repair her blurred vision. Her eyes felt like they had glazed over. It felt strange staring into the empty night instead of into a pair of the most breath-taking (literally) eyes she'd ever seen. Her blood was boiling and she was having problems remembering to breathe. It felt like her heart had jumped into her throat. That was a problem, considering that it was relentlessly hammering five-times the speed usually doctor-recommended.

_Wow_, was all that both voices in her head could say. The romantic one was silent because it had fainted a long time ago, and the objecting one was gaping and seriously considering switching sides. She sighed, knowing it would only be a matter of time until they were a couple. Boy, she would have never thought she'd be in this position two months ago. One of the things that concerned her the most was how she was expected to react that coming Monday. Winter break wasn't for another week, and she would have to endure his company in front of the entire student body. She was frightened that when they did something that made it obvious there was something going on, every girl in the school would organize a riot and come after her when no one--or everyone--was looking.

Jessica turned to the door and placed her hand on the knob, not really seeing it. She couldn't shake the memory of his smoldering eyes and lips on her skin. Just the memory of what happened--or what _almost _happened--made her heart rate speed up dramatically. She took a deep breath, telling herself to calm down. Her heart was racing so much that it almost hurt. Her attention was caught by a whimper and a thud she heard when she opened the door. Jessica opened the door all of the way quickly and rushed inside to find her mother hunched over in pain, covering her forehead with her hand. Her face turned eight different shades of red, in embarrassment and anger.

"Mom?!" she exclaimed, advancing on her mother.

"Hey, honey," she smiled innocently, straightening up with her hand still covering her forehead.

"Were you _spying _on me?" she asked, so embarrassed that her eyes were watering. She already knew the answer, it was quite a rhetorical question, but she couldn't believe her mother had stooped that low. She should have expected it… she should have seen it coming. Still, it was such an invasion of privacy! She'd seen every bit of it--the cuddling, the physical contact, the kissing, everything! How embarrassing! And had she heard everything they'd said? Had she heard their supposed-to-be private confessions of love?

"No," Ms. Kramer shook her head, ashamed. "I--I didn't mean to! I'd just seen the car drive up and after about five minutes you hadn't come inside yet, so I was curious! I just peeked out of the little window on the door to see where you went and, uh…" she scratched the back of her head. "I saw."

"Mom, how could you?!"

"It's not my fault! You were just… _right there_ and after I saw you two," she hesitated to find words, mashing her palms together, "_together_, it was hard to look away! Anyone would have done it!"

"It's called privacy, Mom! God, I can't believe this," Jessica raged. Her terrifying expression slowly transformed into sheepishness. "Did--did you _hear _anything?"

"No," she shook her head, her voice coated with guilt.

"Mom."

"No!"

"_Mom_!"

"Okay, fine, I did! But just a little!" she cried, trying to make things sound better than were. "You started whispering after a while and it was hard to hear after a while…"

"So you pressed your ear against the door!"

"No, I--" before she could finish objecting, Jessica pointed to the red mark on her head made by the door. "Okay, I did! But can you blame me?! This is better than any movie I've ever laid eyes on and--"

"Mom, I can't believe you! You are just going to stand there and watch because it's _interesting _instead of taking my feelings into account and minding your own business!" Jessica fumed, sweeping past her mother and up the stairs.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Ms. Kramer asked hesitantly. "It looked like you were… having fun."

"No! I don't want to talk about it, Mom, because you shouldn't have even known anything was going on!"

Jessica stomped up the stairs angrily to her room. She slammed her door behind her and laid down on her bed, her arms crossed. The audacity her mother had sometimes… it was ridiculous. She closed her eyes as she let the anger subside, though the embarrassment didn't. It felt incredible _doing_ it, so Jessica couldn't even imagine how it looked in someone else's eyes. Much less her lovesick _mother's_.

The current problem left her mind completely as the addicting images came flooding back. Drew's eyes, his voice, his words… his lips within inches of her own. The mixture of spearmint, cologne, and leather was the most pronounced, overwhelming her senses. She felt so weak now, so light-headed. To be perfectly frank, she had no earthly idea how she had kept herself from fainting. She supposed it was because she was so sure she was about to be kissed and she didn't want to miss it.

Speaking of the kiss, why _didn't _she receive her first kiss tonight? Everything had been so phenomenally perfect. They'd been alone (so they'd thought, she added with disgust), they'd been wrapped in each other's arms, their lips were inches apart, the addicting electrical current was roaring more than ever before, and they'd confessed their feelings! What had been so wrong that he'd decided to pull away and promise he would kiss her _later_? Why later? Why not right then? This bothered her, and she wanted badly to confront him about it. But the confrontation, 'why did you not kiss me the other night?' wasn't exactly something you brought up in a casual conversation. But nevertheless, she had to know. Was something wrong? Was something wrong with _her_? Did he not want to kiss her and was just kissing her everywhere on her face to try and compromise? That thought hurt her feelings immensely.

Her thoughts drifted away as her eyelids grew heavier. She slowly but surely drifted into a deep sleep, dreaming about the guy she'd sworn to never fall for. Too bad that now she was completely head over heels.

Drew pulled his gleaming white convertible into the valet parking area. He tipped the driver and handed over the keys, a gleaming smile on his lips that matched the gleam of his car.

"Mr. Hitley," the man nodded, climbing into the drivers side, "you look extraordinarily good mood."

"I'm having a good night," he shrugged, turning to walk into the five-star hotel. Once the man had driven away, Drew reached up to touch his cheek where Jessica's lips had been only ten minutes before. His cheek was still burning hot. After being greeted and practically bowed to by every person in the lobby, Drew got into the elevator and told the operator what floor. The man nodded and pressed the corresponding button.

"You look happy tonight," the man said absentmindedly.

"I'm having a good night," Drew repeated, memories and urges flooding back to him.

"It appears so," the man grinned as the doors slid smoothly open. Drew nodded and walked out onto his floor as the doors closed behind him and the man disappeared. He sighed and ran his hand through his perfect dirty blond hair. Of course he was in a good mood! He was in love! Nothing could ruin this perfect night!

When Drew opened his door with a spring in his step, his impossibly perfect night came crashing down.

"Where have you been?!" his manager stormed, her skinny form hopping off of his bed. Rachael was the last person he wanted to talk to at the moment. Her thin, unattractive hair was tousled and ruined even more than usual. Her eyes were bulging out of their sockets. She pointed an accusing finger at him. "You! You don't leave a note, you don't call me, or anyone else for that matter, and let them know where you are! I had scheduled an interview for you tonight and where are you? I don't know! But I couldn't tell the press that--who knows what they would come up with--so, I had to lie about knowing where you were and had to cancel! Do you know how bad a cancellation looks, kid? Really bad! _Really, really _bad! I tried to keep the press off of your back as much as I could, but you just handed them an excuse to print another story! Now, like I asked before, _where were you_?"

"Out," Drew said tonelessly, removing his jacket and throwing it on his bed.

"Out?" she asked, her eyes bulging even more. "Out? You were… _out_?" An insane kind of laugh escaped her thin, severe lips. "You were out. Oh, yes, that tells me exactly what I need to know. Of course I know you were out! _Where_ were you tonight when you could have been in an interview that was your ticket out of this Hillbilly Hell?!"

"My… ticket out?" he repeated.

"That's right," she said greedily. "It was your ticket out of Washington and back to Hollywood, but no! You were 'out', so you had to sacrifice your _and _my way out of this barren wasteland! Now, _where were you_, superstar? Who were you with?"

"I was out on… a date," Drew shrugged. "And I was with a girl."

"Drew," Rachael shook her head, "what am I gonna do you? Look, I know when you're a teenage boy that your life is nothing but cars, money, and girls, but straighten up your priorities! I realize that you are… how would I say it… sewing your wild oats, but it's not like she means anything to you. She would be, what, your sixteenth girlfriend? Just, next time you want to go on a date with a local weirdo, let me know before you do."

"Don't call her that," Drew said angrily. "And I can go out whenever I want! I'm Drew Hitley!"

"Sure, sure, kid," she shooed it away with her hand, taking out her touch screen phone. "So, give me the update. Who's this new girl in your life and why are you dating her?"

"Her name is Jessica and--"

"Haven't you dated a Jessica already? I thought you knew, Drew, _never _date a girl with the same name. It's bad publicity."

"I don't care about stupid publicity," Drew rolled his eyes. "I am dating her because I want to, not because I want to look good for the press."

"Ha ha, oh, kid, your funny," his manager laughed, shaking her head. She typed some things into her phone's keyboard.

"I'm not kidding," he said seriously. Rachael looked up from her phone, her eyebrows raised.

"I know that you have girls stalking you at school, so I figured you'd end up getting with one of them before you left. Good, you're right. It's not a good idea to stay single for too long."

"No, that's not it, Rachael! I'm dating her because _I want to_. Not for publicity, not to look good, not because of her looks. I'm dating a girl who was the only one at school _not_ stalking me."

"Drew, you are always the one who wants something they can't have. I should have known."

"_No_! _You don't get it_!" Drew hissed. "I am dating her because I _care about her_. I'm dating her because, over the past two months, I've fallen for her."

Rachael gasped and almost dropped her phone. "Drew Hitley doesn't fall for girls, girls fall for Drew Hitley! That is your motto! How badly do you think it will hurt your image if it gets out that you fell for some normal girl from _Washington_?"

"I don't care about image or press! I just care about her!"

"What has she done to you?" Rachael asked, looking like someone had just picked up one of her most prized possessions and threw it on the floor. "You're… you're not _you _anymore."

"I've changed," he said obviously, opening up his arms. "This is me now. Jessica has changed me for the better. Love does crazy things to you, you know."

"_Love_?" she choked, looking like she was about to faint. "You didn't just say the 'L' word…"

"I did! And I'd gladly say it again!" Drew said proudly. Rachael looked dizzy.

"I need a drink," she muttered, rubbing her temples and heading towards the door. Drew let her leave without a word. No one would be able to get in the way of his Jessica and him. He would make sure of that. Let Rachael say whatever she wanted. She, if there was love out there for someone like _her_, would eventually understand when she found that one person she wanted to be with more than anyone else.

Drew changed clothes and went to bed, dreaming about one person and one person only. He dreamed of her, her lips against his, her body pressed against his body, her smile, her laugh, her blush, and most importantly, her happiness. That was all that mattered. Suddenly, one day seemed much longer than it had just an hour ago.

**I know it's short, but that's where I thought would be good to leave off. Alright, this is where you guys come in! I am having major writer's block, and I need to ask for your help! What should happen next? I know that you are all waiting for the KISS, but just give me ideas of what should happen next and I will most likely add the kiss in somewhere. I'm looking for something to happen somewhere in the time period of the next week. They get out for Christmas break at the end of the week, and as you all know, Drew is coming over! Send me any ideas through the PM. Love you guys!**

**Now, do the right thing and press that little greenish/whitish/grayish button down there! Come on! YOU CAN DO IT! ;)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Thanks for taking part in helping me overcome my writers block, LOL. To be fair, I am going to give the necessary people the credit for their great ideas that I think I am gonna use! I want to thank it'sapartyintheUK, Kayele, and Friendofthefallen. They all gave me great ideas that I am going to attempt to use at some point. I want to say thank you to all of you and if you gave me an idea and I am not using it, that doesn't mean I think they suck or I hate you LOL. You all are awesome and thanks so much for following along!**

**Enough of my endless babble. Here we go!**

Sunday was complete torture for Drew. He spent almost all of his time checking his watch to see how many hours the seemingly endless day had remaining. Boy, he'd never pictured himself acting so desperately… it was extremely unbecoming. When every five minutes he would ask someone what time it was, people started to become very annoyed--especially Rachael. More than _six times_ in one hour she had to leave the building and go outside and have a smoke. Drew nor the hotel condoned smoking, so to her relief, she was forced to go outside. This Jessica girl was making her life so much harder than it had to be. After the anxious celebrity's manager walked back into the lobby for the umpteenth time, she sighed and took a seat.

"Hey, Rachael?" Drew asked in his familiar tone. Rachael groaned.

"_What _is it?"

"What time--"

"I don't know! Probably the same time it was when you asked me twenty seconds ago!" she sighed, running her hand through her ruined hair. Drew coughed once at the intense smoky and nicotine smell that hit him in the face. "Kid, your obsession with this girl is unhealthy. I say you miss school tomorrow and clear your mind."

"Wouldn't missing school be 'bad for my image'?" Drew asked, faux concern in his voice.

"You'll be taking a sick day," Rachael snapped. "Seriously, though, think about something else. _Someone _else. Anything else. I swear, if you ask me or anyone else what time it is one more time, they will rip your head right off of your shoulders."

"We wouldn't want that," Drew said dully, sighing and taking out his phone. "Hmm…"

"What?" his manager asked, regretting it the second it left her mouth.

"I wonder if anyone I know has her number," he questioned, taping his chin thoughtfully.

"You are _infatuated _with her," Rachael complained loudly. "It's unhealthy! I might actually take you out of school tomorrow if you don't stop."

Drew ignored her whining and skimmed through his phonebook. He huffed angrily when he came to the last of his numbers without any luck. "Shoot."

"Argh!" she groaned, hitting her head against the wall. "Let it go!"

"I'll let her go when you stop drinking and smoking," Drew smirked, beginning to speed text someone.

"Never."

"Fine, then. I'll text all I want and ask around if anyone has her number all I want. _And _I might even ask for your help to plan our--"

"Okay, okay, fine! Just spare me, please," she begged, standing up and heading towards the hotel's bar. Drew rolled his eyes at his manager's stupidity. Getting drunk did nothing but gave you highs and then massive hangovers. She'd probably die before she reached the age of forty. It was really too bad. She could have been a decent person.

Drew searched his contacts once more for anyone who would have Jessica's number. Wait… come to think of it, did she even have a phone? Well, if she didn't, she needed to buy one. He wanted to be able to get in touch with her if the situation called for communication.

He came up short once again and trudged up to his room unhappily. This seemed like possibly the slowest day of his life. It was almost like the clock was laughing in his face. The ticking noise seemed to slow and slow the harder he listened, so he tried not to pay any attention to it. He turned on his plasma TV and searched for anything decent to watch, but nothing was on. He crossed his arms and called his chauffeur over the phone. Harry answered sleepily.

"Hello?" Harry asked, groggy.

"Were you sleeping on the job?" Drew questioned, trying to sound cruel. He needed some form of amusement at the moment.

"Oh, no, sir!" the chauffeur replied, trying to sound excited and ecstatic. "I am just a little… preoccupied."

"Preoccupied?! Too preoccupied to listen to _me_, your boss, the one and only Drew Hitley?"

"No, no! Of course not, sir. What do you need? Whatever it is, I'd be more than thrilled to go get it for you," Harry said quickly. The driver was shocked when an amused chuckle came from the other end.

"Relax, Jerry, I was kidding."

"It's Harry, Mr. Hitley," he sighed.

"Oh, right. Sorry," Drew apologized. This nearly made the man fall over in surprise. Had his boss just _apologized_? Too _him_, his lowly limousine driver?

"Did you just say--?"

"Sorry? Yeah, I know," Drew shrugged. "It's different. I guess my manners have improved since last night."

"Last night?"

"Yep. Jessica and I…" Drew trailed off, feeling tongue-tied all of a sudden. The recap of that night's events in his mind were enough to make his palms sweat. His phone suddenly felt very slippery in his grasp.

Harry's attention was completely and one-hundred percent caught at the mention of young Miss Kramer. So, Jessica had gotten him to start apologizing? He had to applaud her for that. It was about the fifth Mission: Impossible she'd accomplished in the past two months, after all. The driver noticed his young master's hesitation. He could almost see the nervous sweat forming on Drew's brow.

"Why did you _really _call me, sir?" Harry asked suspiciously. He heard the distressed star sigh into the receiver.

"No particular reason."

Harry wasn't convinced. "Uh huh."

"Okay, okay, fine, I'll tell you! Just stop badgering me about it, okay?" Drew exploded out of nowhere. "I need… advice. From someone with experience, someone old who's been around the block, if you know what I mean. How do you… kiss a girl?"

Harry ignored the unintentional insult about his age and sniggered. He tried as hard as he possibly could to sound respectful. "But, sir, you've kissed quite a number of girls."

"Well, yeah, I know. But they were different," he admitted quietly. "None of them meant anything. And over half of them were movie kisses."

"So, are you telling me that you actually _care_ about Miss Jessica?"

"I guess so," he muttered.

"Well, first of all, I would tell her how I felt."

"Done it."

"Really?" Harry asked, his voice drenched in curiosity. "And when did you do that, may I ask?"

"Last night," Drew said self-consciously.

"And?"

"She feels the same," Drew answered, happiness welling up inside of his chest. It felt even better when he said it aloud.

"Well, why did you not try last night?" the chauffeur asked.

"I _did _try. And we got so close… but--"

"She stopped it?"

"No!" Drew exclaimed, offended that he thought _anyone _would stop a kiss with _him_. Well, granted, it was Jessica. She'd be the one to break the law of nature. "_I_ stopped it, thank you very much."

"Why?" Harry sounded extremely confused. "You said that you wanted to."

"I did! I mean, I do! But even though it should have been the perfect moment, it wasn't. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"Not particularly."

"It just didn't feel like it should have happened right then, right there. I wasn't sure if she was ready."

"_She_ wasn't ready, or _you _weren't?" Harry asked meaningfully. To his surprise, Drew really considered that possibility. Nope, it wasn't that. He'd wanted to kiss her for such a long time now. He wasn't sure if _she _was ready, and they both needed to be prepared. That was a necessity. Otherwise, it wouldn't be special, it would just be awkward. That was something that he feared most of all. He knew that, no matter if she was ready or not, he would immensely enjoy every second of it. But if Jessica didn't enjoy it, it would ruin everything he'd worked so hard to achieve.

"Nope, I was ready," Drew said truthfully. "But I'm just scared that she's not. If I try and kiss her and she isn't ready, then that could ruin everything."

"Good point. That is surprisingly thoughtful," Harry said, a smile in his voice.

Silence passed between them for a few moments.

"So?" Drew asked, almost sounding a little angry. "What do I do? You're married, right? What was something that charmed the ladies a century ago?"

Harry sighed and rubbed his temple, trying to stay patient. He needed to keep in mind that the whole 'nice' thing was new to Drew.

"Yes, I am married. Are you wanting me to tell you about my first kiss with my wife?"

"I can't believe I am gonna say this, but yes."

"Okay, then," his driver began. "It was a cold winter's night--December the 18th, I believe. Elaine and I were a relatively new couple. We'd only been together for a week--"

"You dated her a whole _week _and didn't kiss her?" Drew snorted. "Please! I usually end up kissing my normal girlfriends within a day!"

"But those were different times, sir, and I didn't have your image. I was a gentleman, a small-town man, if you will. I was not a conspicuous Hollywood Bad Boy."

"Touché," Drew mumbled, embarrassed at his sudden outburst of conceitedness.

"So, like I was saying," Harry continued, "it was a chilly winter's night. Elaine had recently moved to Missouri and had never seen the snow before. She found it beautiful, very interesting. I decided to take her for a walk in it. The little white flakes were just beginning to cover the ground, and they were fluttering down lightly all around us. Just for the record, Mr. Hitley, I hadn't been _planning _to kiss her that night. It just sort of happened. We were walking through the beautiful white flurries, watching our breath come out in little clouds. We were laughing. I was having so much fun watching _her _have fun. After we walked for a while, we sat down on a bench to take a rest.

"Elaine looked so beautiful, her cheeks a rosy red and her hair a little curlier than usual. If I hadn't have been panting so much, she would have taken my breath away. She looked cold so I asked if she needed my jacket. She smiled, told me that was sweet, but refused to take my jacket away from me. I put my arm around her, trying to warm her up. Back then it was pretty common," he added. "She started laughing again, and I laughed along with her. Then, at no particular moment, we looked at each other. Then, it happened." Harry smiled at the memory.

Drew listened intently. He realized that if he'd been hearing this just a month before now, he would have probably made impolite gagging noises and would have been wanting to puke. But now that he had someone like that, he could relate and made no such improper noises. To his surprise, Harry sounded pretty smooth in his younger days.

"So? What do I do?" Drew asked. "I get her in the snow and try and kiss her?"

"Not necessarily," Harry shook his head to himself. "Don't make my kiss your kiss. I was just trying to assist you. You're very creative, Mr. Hitley. I'm sure you can come up with something yourself."

"For the benefit of the doubt, let's say I'm not creative," Drew complained. "I don't know what to do! How in the world am I supposed to think of something within the next few days?"

"Nothing said it had to be in the next few days," the chauffeur shrugged. "Don't fret, sir. When the time is right, it will happen."

Drew sighed and decided to give up. That was all he was going to get out of him, he could tell.

"Suggestions?"

"No, sir. You're on your own."

"Fine. Thanks," Drew mumbled, his mind starting to drift towards the important task at hand.

"Was I any help?"

"Actually, yes. I think you were."

"Enough to get a raise?" Harry laughed, although it was obvious he was sounding hopeful.

"Maybe," Drew said thoughtfully, trying to torture him. "I'll think about it…"

He actually had no intention of thinking it over. There were _much _more important things he needed to think about.

"Alright, sir. Call me if you need anything else."

Drew, however, had already hung up. The gears in his head were turning like crazy. His first kiss with the girl of his dreams would be perfect. He was sure of it. But the exact timing of that special moment when their lips touched, he did not know. Only father time knew the answer to that one.

**Okie Dokie! Press that pretty little button down there and review! BTW, I am gonna make a little challenge for you guys. PM me and tell me your ideas for their first kiss. Should it be in the snow, perhaps under mistletoe? Should it be in school, or would I be a fool? Could they kiss under the moonlight, so shiny and bright? OOOOOHHHHH I don't know. We'll see! If you give me any ideas, they might end up being in the story! I'll give you credit. ;)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Impressive announcer guy's voice: AND HERE….. WE….. GOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!**

Drew stared at his phone for a long time, contemplating. The snowy night that happened about forty years ago swirled in his head like the snow he could see in his mind's eye. Their first kiss… their first kiss… what should happen? What would make it special? Most importantly, what would make it special for _Jessica_? He was sure that snow should be included in the equation. He'd actually never seen snow before, and he thought that he would probably enjoy it. He would _especially _enjoy it if the day of his first snow and first kiss that really meant anything to him happened all at once. But, like Harry had said, he needed to make it his _own _kiss, not a copy of Harry's. That would be incredibly unoriginal, and he was Drew Hitley! He was creative! He should be able to think of _something_.

Should he do it at school? That would probably be incredibly revealing. He wasn't sure if Jessica wanted to do it in front of a crowd of people, much less the girls that would probably give her death glares if she so much as looked at him. Not that he cared if everyone watched. Who cared? It was none of their business. He'd wrap his arms around her in front of the world if he had to.

Should he wait until school was over and see if Jessica seemed ready yet? Should he maybe try and kiss her when they were at her house on Christmas? The unpredictable and unbelievably cold Washington weather would assure that it would snow. In fact, as Drew had been flipping threw channels earlier, a weather man had said there was a ninety percent chance of snow for the next few weeks. Even better!

Considering that Ms. Kramer seemed incredibly eager to get Jessica out of the house that Saturday night, Drew assumed that if he needed help, she would have no issue with being in on it. Could she maybe arrange a meeting place for them? Could she maybe shove Jessica under the mistletoe subtly. Well, come to think of it, she probably didn't know how to do _anything _subtly, and shoving Jessica under the mistletoe was _forcing _her to kiss him. Once again, he needed to wait until she was ready. Mistletoe was not the solution. He could throw that idea out.

Could they maybe do it while opening presents? He needed to get her something she would love. Hopefully, so much that she would fling her arms around him and kiss him before she knew what she was doing. She tended to do things without thinking when she was around him, he noticed. Not that that was a bad thing. Drew seemed to possess a little more self-control than she did. Otherwise, he would have kissed her _weeks _ago. If he had her level of self-control, he would have pulled her to him the day he first saw her smile and heard her laugh, the day she came to ask if he wanted to come to her house for Christmas, _multiple _times at the carnival, and on her doorstep that eventful Saturday night.

Many ideas circulated in his mind, all of them ending with something that crossed out that idea and threw it in the trash bin. What could he possibly do? All that he could think of was to go straight up to her and attempt to ask subtly. But how subtle could you be when trying to ask, 'what would be your favorite way to be kissed?' That was not exactly something you brought up in an average day-to-day conversation. However, most of their conversations weren't day-to-day, they were either very emotional or stupid, reasonless squabbling.

And what was he supposed to do at school tomorrow? What could you do when the previous night you had just told them, 'I am so in love with you that it should be illegal'? Well, technically, he didn't say that, but he might as well have. That's exactly how bad things were at the moment. And worst part--or the best part, depending on how you looked at it--was that his feelings would just get stronger. It was impossible to imagine them stronger than they were already, but he knew it would probably get so bad that he would have trouble leaving her side. And after the kiss--oh, god--he'd be glued to her.

_How sad am I?_ he thought sourly. _I'll be so obsessed with her that she'll be disgusted. Who would have thought _The Drew Hitley _would become so infatuated with someone? Love is weird._

He wondered, if you called what he felt now love, what would you call it after they kissed and he wasn't able to leave her without causing himself literal pain? And, with a disgusted thought, he realized he was thinking about _it _again. What was he? Some weird lovesick guy in a cheesy chick flick? He'd never thought this would happen to him. He'd always assumed love was something in the movies or in books. He'd never thought it was _real_. Things between his parents had never worked out, and every adult friend (more like acquaintance) he'd had in Hollywood had been married at least twice.

He sighed and decided that he was thinking about everything too much. If he kept over-thinking things, it would make easy questions difficult. He probably just ought to sleep through it. Maybe if he slept over it, he would forget. But the part that scared him was that he didn't _want _to forget. Was that bad? And he would probably just dream about her again… which technically would not be forgetting about it. Oh, no. The process had already started and it had just been ten minutes! Things at school the next day were going to be interesting, that was for sure. The situation would be awkward. Awkward was the thing that he feared most.

Jessica woke up in the morning, unusually giddy. Her stomach was turning too many summersaults for her to be able to walk straight. She stumbled to her closet, trying to decide what to wear. Normally, she would grab a random shirt with jeans and sneakers, but today she felt self-conscious. She took out a pair of her favorite skinny jeans, a long-sleeved red blouse with a built-in chain necklace, and matching chucks. Her mother had gone shopping for her a couple of days before, claiming to justify that Jessica needed new clothes. She couldn't really object. She had had the same clothes in her closet for the past two years, considering she didn't really grow much anywhere. Jessica hurried to the bathroom, ran a brush through her hair, and applied mascara. Her good hair day was no more, to her dismay. She snuck a curling iron from her mother's bathroom. It wasn't too difficult since her mother had left for work an hour before.

Jessica tried the curling iron for the first time, burning herself repeatedly but eventually getting the hang of it. The iron didn't do much, just made it look neater and took out some of the mats. Since her mother was out, she thought deviously, she maybe could sneak some foundation and eye shadow. Maybe she could even go as far as eyeliner! That would be pushing the envelope, but she didn't really care. Her mother owed her since she'd been nice enough to spy on her incredibly private moment. Jessica went to her mother's bathroom when she was finished and looked into the full body mirror. She didn't look half-bad, actually. She still looked like herself, she considered. She just had her features enhanced. That was it. No harm done.

She ran downstairs, her stomach still queasy, and tried to force down a smores Poptart. No such luck. After one bite, she ran to the sink as a precaution. She had no idea what was going on. Her stomach didn't usually cause her any trouble. But, then again, she couldn't ever recall feeling this nervous before. How sad was that? She knew _why _she felt so nervous, although she didn't want to accept it. How was she supposed to talk to him when she got to school after the things that had been said? Curse him! Now she was almost angry at him for ever even saying out loud that he loved her. He was going to make everything awkward! Perhaps if they _had _kissed, things would have been different and they could have just been officially an item, but _no_. That would be too easy. Drew had to go and find something wrong and halt it when their lips were less than an inch away. Classic Drew. She was ticked at him now. It was all his fault that she felt like she would puke at any moment!

She threw the Poptart into the wastebasket and stepped out into the cold air. Clouds were already formulating from her warm breath. With the way the weather usually worked every year, conditions were only due to get worse. She crossed her arms because she was upset and freezing. Oh, well, it was too late now. She had already locked the door and it was too late to go back inside and retrieve a jacket. She would just have to freeze. She could handle it. If she had survived that afternoon in the cold rain before Drew had come and forced her into the car, she could fair well now. Great, she was thinking about him again! She was horrible at keeping him blocked out of her mind. It was pretty impossible.

Jessica waved to a sleepy-looking Officer Roulin as she left the neighborhood, her mind nowhere in particular. Well, it was pretty focused in on her anger with Drew Hitley. He hadn't kissed her when she knew she had made it pretty clear that she wanted to, he was making her feel sick with nervousness, and now she couldn't speak to him without blushing furiously.

Her blushing would only make him flirt more, which was bad because if he did the right things and said certain things, her mind would be wiped blank and she wouldn't be able to stay mad at him. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. He didn't need to have so much control over her. It was unhealthy. Any type of addiction was unhealthy, she concluded.

To her relief, when she arrived, no one was there. That included Drew. She rushed to her locker, eager to get out of the cold wind. The second she stepped inside of the school, warmth greeted her immediately, causing her to sigh in relief. It felt so good. Jessica turned down the hall to make sure she was alone, out of paranoia. She exchanged the necessary books and carefully placed _Call of the Wild _on the top of books with caution.

She glanced around the hall again, relieved to find that she could see no one. She reminded herself that Drew tended to get to school early just to see her, so her nerves got ten times worse. What was she to do?

Jessica reached out and closed her locker door. When she turned to leave the hallway, she nearly had a heart attack. She clutched her chest with a high-pitched squeal. Someone was standing, leaning against the locker directly next hers. She hadn't seen them because her locker's door had been blocking her view. It was the last person, and to her disgust, the first person she wanted to see. Her stomach somersaulted, flipped, and cart wheeled. She had to use all of her willpower not to rush to the bathroom. If she suddenly ran away, that would arouse questions she didn't want to have to answer.

"Hi," Drew smiled. To her surprise, his face and body language seemed to reflect the way her stomach was feeling. Great. She knew it. She knew he wouldn't be happy to see her. He obviously wasn't too thrilled about it. He'd just come here out of a stupid sense of obligation. Her mind immediately started jumping to outlandish conclusions, like he was going to tell her everything he'd said was a lie and that he'd finally tricked out her real feelings about him. Her throat just ached thinking about it. Apparently her pain was obvious on her face, because Drew looked immediately concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Upset stomach," she murmured, trying not to technically lie. She was a horrible liar, so telling the truth as much as she could would keep the act going strong. Well, as strong as she could make it, at least.

Drew's brows pulled together. "I'm sorry. Do you need medicine?"

"I don't think that will help," she said truthfully, an edge in her voice that he couldn't miss. Jessica squeezed past him, feeling incredibly light-headed. She checked to make sure that she was breathing. Yep, breathing: check. She supposed that maybe it was just him. He looked really good today--better than usual. That didn't help things. It made it all that much harder to stay mad at him. His grayish-blue long-sleeve shirt shaped the contours of his torso. She, with horror, realized he had… muscles. He had on a black leather jacket over his shirt, which helped matters a little bit, but it was open so she could see his shirt quite clearly. His blue eyes seemed even brighter today.

"Are you okay?" he asked again, this time with a different meaning. He followed her.

"No, not really."

"What's wrong? Did I do something?"

His truthfully innocent tone just made things harder. She had to be truthful if they were going to get anywhere. "Yeah, actually."

"What did I do?" he asked, his eyebrows raising. They almost looked amused, but with a hint of real concern. He actually looked a little worried. That question had been the one she didn't want to answer, although she knew it was the most unavoidable. She didn't want to bring up that night on the doorstep. It was an incredibly embarrassing subject.

"Um," she began, "I… don't really wanna talk about it."

"Well, I do," he insisted. "Tell me what I did so I can fix it."

"It's not really something you can 'fix'," Jessica replied, taking off at a pace she hoped would be too fast for him. Of course, with her luck, he easily kept up. Curse his long legs.

"Jessica, what did I do?" he asked, sounding desperate.

"Not now!"

"Come on," he said, grabbing her elbow. She was forced to a halt. She tried as hard as she could not to make eye contact or look at his… chest. Drew tried very hard to take her gaze off of the ground, but had no success. His face turned from worried to slightly amused and embarrassed. His lips turned up into a sheepish grin. "Is this about--?"

"No!" she said quickly, color flooding to her cheeks.

"It is, isn't it?" He sounded thrilled.

"It's not about you know what if that's what your thinking about!" Jessica exclaimed, her entire face changing color. So much for telling the truth.

"Yes, it is."

"Is not!"

"Look me in the eyes and tell me that," he said softly. He lifted her chin with his finger. Her blush was eating at his self-control. Her confused eyes refused to look into his. She muttered something under her breath stubbornly. He couldn't understand it.

"Please, just drop it," she said angrily.

"No," he said decidedly. "You're not the only one can be stubborn."

"Fine, then. I hope you enjoy disappointment."

Jessica marched away, anguish in her eyes. Why did everything always have to be so dramatic and harder than necessary? Why couldn't this be easy? It was because it would make her happy, that's why. And life wouldn't allow that. She wasn't allowed to be happy for more than a couple of minutes.

Drew followed her, his step not wavering. He wouldn't let it go. Whatever he did that upset her he would fix. He needed to have a clean record before he tried to kiss her. She didn't need any reason to resist.

"Jessica, is this about Saturday night?" he asked bravely. Yeah, he brought it up. What was she going to do about it?

She rounded on him, her eyes burning with some internal conflict that he couldn't distinguish. "I told you to drop it!"

"Honestly, since when do I listen to you?" he asked playfully. She was even madder at him now. He was trying to be funny. This was no laughing matter! Her face was turning red, but not because of embarrassment. It was because of her anger and frustration.

"_Leave me alone_," Jessica groaned. They were both reminded of when they'd first met.

"This is about Saturday night," Drew said. It was not a question this time. "What did I do? Are you mad at me for telling you that I--?"

"No, that's not it."

"Then, what? Is it--?"

"Nope."

"How do you even know what I was going to say?!"

"It's obvious. No, I'm not mad at you for the… physical contact." No matter how hard Jessica tried, she couldn't control the bad times her blush decided to show up. Another bit was taken from Drew's gradually weakening self-control.

One last guess entered his mind. But, no, that couldn't be it. She obviously wasn't ready yet. Right?

"Are you mad at me for…? Oh, Jess, it's not what you think--"

"No!" she objected, shaking her head. "That's not it!" She was clearly lying.

He sounded amused now. "You've always been a horrible liar."

A rosy crimson went all the way up to her hairline. There went another piece. "I just--"

"No, I know," Drew shook his head. He leaned against the hallway's wall. Jessica leaned against the wall, too, waiting for an explanation that would make any sense. What else could it be besides the fact that he didn't want to? "Are you--are you telling me that you're upset because I didn't kiss you?"

Jessica's jaw tightened, refusing to say anything. This was so embarrassing.

"And you think that I didn't because?"

"You didn't want to," she said unwillingly. She stated the facts--the painful, painful facts.

"You think I didn't _want to_?" he repeated, sounding amazed. "I thought I told you, my self-control is unbelievable."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"'I did not want to'," he quoted her again, shaking his head in amazement. "You really have _no_ idea, do you?" When Jessica continued to look at him expectantly, he sighed. "I didn't kiss you not because I didn't want to--trust me, every fabric of my being was telling me to--but because I didn't think _you _wanted to."

Jessica looked at him dubiously. Was he really trying to turn it around on _her_?

"_Me_? You're serious?" she questioned. She sighed, about to admit something even more embarrassing. "I thought I was making it pretty clear that I did."

He smiled. Then he shrugged. "See?" he asked. "All one big misunderstanding."

"I still don't really understand," Jessica said.

Drew stepped closer to her, not taking his hands out of his jacket pockets. "I thought you weren't ready yet," he whispered. "I knew it wouldn't mean anything if you weren't ready, so it took every bit of my willpower to stop."

"Oh," Jessica said, her voice going an octave higher. "Well, that's different."

He laughed, taking her hand gently. The electric current surged. "Yep, that's different," he agreed with a chuckle. He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb gently.

"I'm still mad at you."

He took it seriously. "Why?!"

"Because I felt so nervous about seeing you all morning that I thought I was going to puke," she confessed. Now was time to get everything out of her system. She needed to get rid of the tension. He sighed in relief.

"Oh," he grinned. "My bad."

"Yep. Your bad. Everything's always your fault."

Drew laughed again, pulling her into a hug. This time, not only Drew's, but Jessica's hormones were bouncing off the walls. What was he doing to her?

"So," he whispered into her ear, causing shivers to run up her spine, "where did we land with all of this?"

"Well, your forgiven," Jessica said significantly.

"That's good. But I mean, when do I get to kiss you?" Drew could feel the heat of her blush on his shoulder.

"I don't know, to be honest. At least now you know you have permission," she laughed nervously.

"True," he chuckled darkly. "I wouldn't get too comfortable, Kramer. My self-control is almost gone." Jessica giggled nervously. "And now it's even more gone. Gosh, how many times do I have to tell you? The more you do that the more likely I am to do something--" he pressed his lips to her ear "--really stupid."

"I know, I know, so you tell me," she rolled her eyes, trying hard not to start jumping around with joy. "I'm starting to doubt you. You say that all of the time but never do anything."

"You really shouldn't have said that," he growled, laughing in a way that made her extremely uncomfortable. "Lucky for you, I have enough control over my actions left not to do something you would be… unhappy with." Jessica could feel chill bumps rising on her arms and the hairs stand up on the back of her neck.

"Thanks for taking my feelings into consideration," she grinned, trying not to let him see the chills she'd received.

"Don't I always?" he asked playfully, playing with her hair as they pulled away. "By the way, I like that color on you. It matches your blush. And there it is," he smiled as her color deepened. "But, really, you look very… nice today." Jessica rolled her eyes. He always had to be a gentleman. She crossed her arms.

"I suppose you look _okay_," she shrugged, working extremely hard not to stare at his chest.

"You know, that was rude," he said seriously.

"Alright, fine. You look handsome. That better?"

"Yeah, I know I do," he said cockily, adjusting his jacket. "Nice to hear it once and a while."

"I thought it went without saying Mr. 'Hollywood's Hunkiest Heartthrob'," Jessica rolled her eyes. It was hard to resist being sarcastic. Even now she found that article completely ridiculous.

"Guess your just lucky," Drew smiled, his blue eyes intense.

"I guess _your _just lucky," Jessica shot back.

"I know," he said obviously, wrapping his arm around her waist. "But unlike someone, I'm big enough admit it." Jessica smiled hugely as she kissed his cheek.

"Your ego is pretty big," Jessica said, watching him carefully.

"I'm working on that," Drew promised, leaning his forehead against hers.

The two were quite a sight to see. With Drew's arm around her waist, Jessica leaning into him, and their foreheads together, it would have stopped anyone who knew them dead in their tracks. Little did Jessica and Drew realize that they were being watched by every student that walked into the hallway to retrieve their books. The time had passed by so quickly, they had no idea that first period would start within a matter of minutes.

"OH MY GOD," the girls murmured to each other, jealousy and hatred filling their voices. Jessica and Drew were paying no attention to anyone besides one another. Everyone was in such shock that making a lot of noise was impossible. The guys just tried not to pay attention, when the girls felt like their whole meaning for life had been destroyed.

"I can't believe it," many girls whispered to one another, in such shock that saying more than those four words were physically impossible at the moment.

Some girls weren't able to move, just staring at the two with their jaws touching the floor. Others were whispering in shock and anger. Others had already rushed to the bathroom to cry their eyes out.

And one, just one, was formulating a plan.

**Oh, cliff hanger! Gasp! Review, please! It will make me so happy and you will see what happens next! ;)**


	25. Chapter 25

**A lot of you had a guess at who that jealous girl is who was plotting MWAHAHAHA!!!!! And they were all the same person! And guess what? You are right! It's that blonde girl who Jessica talked to that day and Drew hates. Oh, what's going to happen? What's that devious little jerk planning? I'm not sure! We'll see… but you are going to have to read it… By the way, I need to give credit to everyone who's idea I might be using in this chapter. I'm not able to look up the user names right now, but if I use your idea, ITS ALL YOURS. I OFFICIALLY GIVE YOU CREDIT.**

**Here you go!**

The school bell rang it's loud, shrill ring out of nowhere. Drew and Jessica were snapped out of their trance at the sound. That's when Jessica realized, with horror, that they were being watched by almost the entire student body. Except for those few that actually cared about class, everyone stayed exactly where they were, staring. No, glaring was more like it. Many of the guys rushed by, trying not to take notice, and the girls just stood there, feeling like they'd just been told they'd never be allowed to wear makeup again.

_Yep_, Jessica thought fearfully, _knew it. They are all wanting to kill me right about now._

Drew, however, took a five-second notice of the crowd and turned back to Jessica. He honestly didn't care. They needed to see this and accept that there was only one girl he wanted. But after further thought, he decided that he'd better speak before they were frozen like that all day. With regret, he released Jessica and turned to the crowd of heartbroken ladies. He raised his hands in front of himself, in a sign for them to calm down.

"Ladies," he addressed them in a business-like fashion, "I want all of you to take a deep breath."

Predictably, they all obeyed. Then, out of nowhere, accusations and heart wrenching cries echoed throughout the hallway. No one could particularly understand them. Drew only caught things like, 'how could you do this to me?', 'I'm so much prettier!', 'Who is _she_?', and 'I thought we had something _special_!'.

"Girls," he said collectively, "quiet, please." Everyone was instantly silent. "I'm not intending to break anyone's heart here, or provoke you in any way. I can't help it who I fall in love with. If I think about it, it's not really my choice." Muffled sobs rang into the air at the fateful word they'd all hoped someday Drew would say to them.

"But… but… how could you like _her_?" one brunette cried. "No one even knows who she is! She's so… so… not me!"

"Yep, she's not you," Drew said, sounding relieved.

"How in the world could you want her? Come on, Drew, you have such a large crowd of good-looking girls at your feet, and you go with _that_?" a familiar voice asked him. With a pang of hatred, Drew easily picked the girl out of the distressed crowd. It was that idiotic blond, Kelley.

"You really want to know?" Drew asked, a harshness in his voice reserved just for Kelley. "She's different from all of you. She's real. She's nice. She's not superficial and self-absorbed."

"But, still…"

"She didn't fall all over me and stalk me like the rest of you! In fact, she tried to ignore me."

"All the more proof that she's crazy," Kelley said obviously. "Open your eyes! Do you not _see _her?! You could have someone so much better." She flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"So, you like her because she ignored you?" one short, stubby girl asked.

"That might have played a part," Drew shrugged.

Almost every girl in the crowd folded their arms over their chests and turned their backs to him. Some satisfied sniggers escaped the group.

Drew rolled his eyes. They were so desperate. "I'm not going to fall in love with you just because you are pretending to ignore me!" The girls turned back around slowly, looking defeated. The bell rang again as a warning.

"Now, we'd all better get to class," Drew hissed, "so run along."

The whimpering crowd faded at his command, turning different ways and disappearing. However, Kelley stayed planted firmly to the ground.

"What do you want?" he growled. She observed him, her eyes flickering back and forth between him and a bewildered-looking Jessica who was still leaning against the wall.

"Oh, nothing," she said casually, crossing her arms and turning away. "Just remember, Drew, when you get tired of her, I'm always available." Drew muttered swears under his breath and turned back to Jessica. He rolled his eyes.

"Can you believe them?" he asked incredulously. "Especially that dumb blond. There's so much hot air in that head of hers, I'd be surprised if she didn't just float away one afternoon."

Jessica tried to smile convincingly. That had scared the living daylights out of her. Her careful ears had heard things that Drew's hadn't. She'd heard a few verbal threats issued her way, and a few physical ones, too. But what frightened her most of all was the devious twinkle in Kelley's eye. She didn't like the way Kelley had been looking at her. Not at all.

"Ha ha," she laughed half-heartedly. "I know, right? Totally ridiculous." Drew easily picked up the worry in her voice. He returned to her side.

"You aren't _scared_, are you?" he asked. "They're just jealous, that's all. It's not like they are gonna hurt you."

"I don't know," Jessica said uncertainly. "I caught a few things they threw my way. And that Kelley… she looked a little too smug to be upset…"

"She always looks smug," Drew muttered. "She's such a--"

"You two, get to class!" someone yelled behind them. They turned to see their principal staring at them. "Oh, Mr. Hitley! I didn't see you. And, Miss Kramer! Hello, there! Well, uh, sorry if I interrupted something." She looked vaguely curious.

"No, no, you didn't interrupt anything ," Jessica said quickly, feeling her face becoming hot. "We were just on our way to Literature."

"Alright, then," Principal Truman said, eying them suspiciously. She turned away and walked towards her office. The doubts Jessica had been trying so hard to forget were coming back. Truman was about the fiftieth person that day to look at them like she was seeing the strangest thing, and it was only eight o'clock in the morning. Jessica had thought these things for a while now. They were such an unlikely pair. Maybe they were so unlikely that they shouldn't be likely at all.

"What are you thinking about?" Drew asked suddenly, scrutinizing her face. Apparently the look on her face had given her away.

"Nothing."

"You are still as bad at lying as you were twenty minutes ago."

"It's just…" Jessica started hesitantly, "so many people think that your crazy. Are you sure that you aren't?"

Drew looked genuinely hurt. "Don't _ever _say that again. Don't you ever even _think _that again, okay?" When the look on her face didn't change, he pulled her close. "How many times do I have to tell you the intensity of my feelings for you before you believe me?"

She didn't say anything. Doubt was taking her over. "Come on," she said, pulling away, "we need to get to class."

"Fine," he said with the same level of unenthusiasm. He didn't care how many times she stalled by using the 'we need to get to class' card. He wasn't letting it go. What could he do to convince her once and for all that she was his one and only? He'd tell her, she'd accept it for a while, and then the second anyone said anything contradicting, she doubted again. What was he supposed to do? He could only think of one solution: kiss her.

Ms. Warren's class was as exciting as it ever ended up being. Drew sat as close to Jessica as he always did, but as usual, she chose to ignore him. Things ended up being the way they had a week ago, to Drew's dismay. Was she really that concerned about the whole thing? Were girls following him around and 'issuing threats' really bothering her that much? Well, one thing was for sure, and that was that Drew despised Kelley now more than ever. One thing that did not help matters at all was that every girl in the classroom took care to give Jessica a glare that was carefully practiced in the mirror. She sighed and rested her chin on her palm. Drew tried repeatedly to give her hand a reassuring squeeze, but she would always jerk away at his touch.

"Pssst," Drew whispered. She ignored him. They were, once again, reminded of their meeting. "_Pssst_!"

Jessica drew in a sharp breath through her nose and continued to try and pay attention to Ms. Warren. Ms. Warren, however, was paying careful attention to them without being noticed. Once or twice she gave a Jessica a 'talk to him' look, but Jessica ignored her as well. The teacher sighed to herself and took a red book out of her desk drawer.

"Class," she said briskly, "take out your copy of _The Scarlet Letter_ and partner up with the person nearest you."

Jessica gave her teacher a death glare and turned to Drew reluctantly. He grinned. He would have to remember to thank her later. Everyone was obviously on his side. Why couldn't Jessica just be sensible and see things the way they were?

"Now that I have your attention," Drew smiled, "tell me what's bothering you."

Jessica gave him a swift glare and took out the copy of her assigned piece of literature. "We aren't supposed to be talking about that," she said, business-like. "We are supposed to be discussing our book."

"Since when do I listen to you _or _the teacher?" he asked, watching her playfully.

"Well, since when do I listen to you and _not _the teacher?" Jessica shot back, opening up her copy.

"Touché," Drew said sourly, "but still. You know me well enough to know that I won't let this go."

"Good for you."

"Jessica, I'm serious."

"So am I," she said casually.

That was it. Her stubborn attitude was starting to be less cute and more aggravating. Drew snatched the book out of her hands and placed it under his bottom. Jessica's expression was unfathomable.

"Good luck getting it now," Drew smiled, looking too smug. "Well, you can try if you want."

"That's disgusting," Jessica shook her head, scooting away from as much as her chair would allow--which wasn't much. "Also very mature."

"Since when I am mature?" he grinned. "Plus, don't give me that excuse. I've tried every other form of civilized communication with you but you won't listen. Time to go to extremes."

"Spray it with Lysol before you give it back," she muttered, defeated. She folded her arms over her chest and crossed her legs. He grinned the seductive smile that made her blush from head to toe.

"Alright, I'll do you that much," he shrugged. "Now, tell your boyfriend what's wrong." Jessica flushed but couldn't necessarily deny it. After Saturday and that morning she didn't have any room to be in denial about that particular subject.

"I told you in the hall."

"And I answered your question with another question. You didn't answer."

"Maybe I didn't want to answer."

"Maybe _I _want you to," Drew replied, his sapphire eyes soft. Against her will, he took her hand in his own. They heard a throat clearing behind them.

"You're supposed to be talking about the book," a familiar-looking stubby girl told them sourly.

"We are going over one of the scenes," Drew said rudely, turning his attention back to Jessica as the girl turned back to her partner, looking irritated.

"She has a point," Jessica tried to say convincingly.

"I don't care how many points she has. I am trying to get _my _point across," Drew fired back, tightening his hold on her hand, but it was still gentle. "Just incase you're hard at hearing--which I think is quite probable sometimes--I will repeat myself. Jessica, do you have any idea of the extent of my feelings for you? How many times do I have to try and explain myself before you believe me?" She did not answer at first, not exactly sure how to respond.

"It's not _you _I doubt sometimes," she began, "it's just the situation itself."

"What about the situation?"

"I, um," Jessica stuttered, glancing at the glares different girls were giving her, "don't think it's meant to be."

"Why would you say that?" Drew asked, panic evident in his voice.

"Are you _positive _that you're in love with me? Are you sure it's not just a… _very, very _big crush or something? I think you are overestimating your feelings."

"No," Drew said, sounding incredibly frustrated. He knew for a fact that it was love. He'd never _ever _in his life felt even half of this way about anyone. "I _know _it. I've never been more sure about anything in my entire life."

"Your _sure_?"

"I'm sure that I'm sure," he said truthfully. "What is strange to me is how sure I can be but how unsure you can. How can I prove it to you? Name it and I'll do it."

"I am not sure you can."

"What?" Drew asked, crestfallen. "What--what do you mean?" His hand tightened on hers almost too much.

"Nothing," Jessica said quickly. The painful look on his face was almost too much for her to bear. "I'm just saying that I don't know. I can't think of anything at the moment. Relax, Drew." She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I'm not saying something like, 'I never want to see you again'."

"Good," he said, trying to sound more manly than he appeared, "you scared me there for a sec."

"Scared you? I thought Drew Hitley doesn't get scared."

"He doesn't," he said cockily. "But you're an exception to the rule. You're an exception to almost all of my rules. I've discovered that over the past few weeks."

"Yeah, well, I've sworn to never fall for you and look at where we are now," Jessica smiled, intertwining her fingers with his. They kept their hands under the desk, trying not to be too public, although every girl had a clear view.

"Odd how we are an exception to each other's rules," Drew said curiously.

"Yeah. Weird."

"All the more proof," Drew said, "that we should be…"

His sentence was interrupted by the ringing of the school bell. They both sighed, though Jessica in relief and Drew in frustration. She shared feelings for him, don't worry, but this was a little much. He was almost being a little _too _mushy about the whole thing. She liked the fact that he was honest, something that he never would have been a couple of months ago, but it felt a little… fast. Not fast, exactly. She wasn't sure if she could find the correct word, and she wasn't sure how to tell Drew to turn it down a little bit. She thought that most of the desire in her wish was coming from the glares she was receiving every time she looked away from Drew's face. Maybe she thought that if they toned it down that the glares would stop, or at least tone down in unison.

When Jessica asked him if he could maybe relax, he reacted in a way she hadn't been expecting. The sudden show of that emotion was almost staggering.

"You _what_?" Jessica asked, too surprised to say much more.

"I completely agree with you," he said again, lifting and dropping his shoulders in a shrug. "I'm used to most girls wanting the whole 'mushy-gushy' thing. But then again, you aren't like other girls, are you?" When he received a glare, he fixed his mistake. "No, I mean that in a good way!"

"I know," she laughed, "just kidding."

"But I'm still allowed to do this, right?" he asked, taking her hand and squeezing it affectionately.

"That's acceptable," she said playfully. "I'm just concerned about Principle Truman getting onto us about PDA."

"Is that _really _the reason why?" Drew questioned, his tone suddenly serious. "Is it PDA or something else?" Jessica refused to meet his eyes. The staggering blue was too much for her at the moment. She would blurt out the truth like she often got too close to doing when his eyes came into play. She'd already told him her fears, but not the extent of them. She also had that certain nagging fear that was always present in the back of her head. Jessica especially feared this fear more than any others. She couldn't--she _wouldn't _ever tell Drew about this fear, frightened that she'd upset him. He'd already practically gone into hysterics the last time she'd mentioned it. He refused to listen to her and practically got on his hands and knees, asking what he could do to convince her otherwise.

That stupid, stupid nag in her head that doubted the whole situation. That _dumb _voice that thought Drew was only absorbed in the heat of the moment. That ridiculous voice that believed she was just another addition in his seemingly endless list of girlfriends. That despised voice that, regrettably, truly thought that she wouldn't be the last lady to be told that he 'loved' them. Why, oh, why, did she have to doubt everything? Why couldn't she let go of that fear of always being hurt and tossed away when things got old?

Well, she knew one thing. Only one person could shut the nagging voice up forever, and that was the boy who is the last person she could talk to about it. He was going to have to figure it out on his own, and no telling how long that could take.


	26. Chapter 26

**Yola, everyone! I am so glad all of you are enjoying it! Sorry I haven't been updating quite as much lately. I am really busy with school this week. I have had tones of tests this week and I have to do SCIENCE FAIR! Gr! The name of all evil! But no worries… science fair will be over after February 14, so it wont last too long. Here we go with the evil plotting… MWAHAHAHA!!!!!**

**Sorry, I tend to do an evil laugh a lot. Lol**

**Here you go! Please review and tell your friends! Thank you!**

"Everybody! Everybody! _Shut up_!"

Kelley Regis screamed shrilly at the top of her lungs. The crowd of distressed high school girls were whispering and talking amongst themselves, some to the point of tears. Many of the heartbroken ladies had been crying all day long. Only a few came out of the bathroom to attend their classes. The girls who normally looked like they were _Playboy_ material were now distraught and half-crazed. With their mascara running in long trails down their face and their eyes red and puffy, they looked more like sleep-deprived insomniac than runway models. Kelley had decided to call a meeting that afternoon for every girl who was upset--every girl that wanted vengeance. The school's courtyard was empty at that time, luckily for the revenge-bent blond. The sound of muffled cries and whines died away.

"Thank you," Kelley sighed, running her hand through her heavily-hairsprayed waves. "Now that I _finally _have your attention, let me get right to the point. I'm guessing you all know why I called this little gathering."

"Of course," one snappy brunette piped, "to talk about the latest world disaster!"

"Exactly," she nodded. "As you all know, the object of my--_our_ obsessions, the center of our universe, the very fabric of our being, was no longer available… for now."

"I can't believe Drew did this to me!" a cry tore through the crowd. "We had something special! The other day, we made eye contact for _two whole seconds_!"

Kelley groaned internally. Sure, she was as obsessed as any of these girls here, but she wasn't _pathetic_. Most of these girls assumed that three seconds of eye contact was a marriage proposal.

"Sure, honey, I know," Kelley comforted with faux concern. "Drew betrayed all of you. Each and every one of us! But it's not _him _we should be angry with right now. It's that little skank he calls his 'true love'." Cries and wails broke through her well-prepared speech. She ignored them. "Our most important, but not only objective is to… what? That's right. _Break them up_."

Shouts of agreement rose up through the seemingly endless mass of girls. "Ooh, ooh!" Kelley ignored the eager exclamations.

"So, do any of you have any ideas? I, surprisingly, haven't come up with any brilliant plans yet. Do any plans come to mind?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Me!"

"Any at all?"

"Ooh!"

"No one?"

"OOH! OOH, KELLEY! I HAVE AN IDEA! ME, ME!"

Kelley sighed exasperatedly, turning to a familiar-looking short girl. Her hand was in the air stubbornly, refusing to lower until her idea was out in the open. The girl's stubby body was bouncing up and down in her chair.

"Yes, Lea?"

"Oh, yay! Okay," the girl named Lea told her, jumping out of her chair and joining Kelley at the front of the group. Everyone but Lea noticed Kelley glaring at the back of her head with such an intensity that it appeared like she was trying to burn a hole through her with her eyes. "So, we need a plan, people!"

"I think I covered that already," Kelley said, her voice dangerously quiet. The crowd shrunk back into their chairs at her tone, but Lea--shockingly--didn't seem to notice. The eager-to-please girl continued as if Kelley hadn't of spoken.

"Personally, _I_ think we need to do something like a sneak attack."

"What?" Kelley questioned.

"Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'an object is only as strong as it's weakest point?'" Lea asked.

_I don't speak geek_. "No, I haven't."

"Well, it's pretty obvious that Drew is crazy about her, I hate to say," Lea said sourly. "Why, I'll never know. But the point is, they are only as strong as their weakest point. In other words, they are only as strong as their _weaknesses_. We need to find their weakness! Once we attack it, then BOOM! There we have it!"

Obviously satisfied with herself, the stubby girl skipped back to her seat proudly. She took a seat, sitting up straighter. Kelley found it extremely annoying that she seemed to think that she possessed an affective leadership role.

"Ohmigosh, Lea, that's _actually _a good idea," Kelley said, her voice full of offensive surprise. "I see what your saying. That could work." The determined blond rounded on the crowd, her platinum hair flipping over her shoulder. She had a new mischievous light in her eyes. "Now, do any of you know of any weaknesses? They have been… 'together'…" Kelley growled with venom, "for only a few days. There is no possible way that we would know of any weaknesses yet. I say we all hang around them subtly for a couple of days, and then when you find out something, I will call another meeting."

Almost right before Kelley could finish, a chubby hand shot into the air at the speed of lightening. The barrage of 'ooh's were arising again. The superficial blond sighed. There was no escaping eager beavers.

"_Yes, Lea_?" she hissed, her hateful stare quite frightful. The excited Lea bounced out of her chair and bounded to the front once again.

"Well," she began as-a-matter-of-factly, "I was unlucky enough--well, I guess now I should say _lucky _enough--to be sitting close to the two lovebirds in The Warrenator's class today. Oddly enough, they were talking about issues in their relationship. Jessica was stupid enough to be trying to _ignore _him! Can you believe it?! It's totally ridiculous how clueless she is. _Anyway_, she is thinking exactly the same thing that all of us are. _Why her_?"

"I think I see what you're getting at," Kelley nodded, again surprised by Lea's sudden burst of brilliance.

"Yep! It's _so _fantastic," she blabbed, "and the best part is, it won't even be that hard! All we have to do is take advantage of Jessica's doubts. She keeps thinking that maybe they don't belong together, and I can tell that it is eating at her like nuts. Drew is worried because he is scared that she will break them up because she thinks that it's not legit."

"Oh, well, Lea," Kelley said, weak with shock, "I'm proud of you. That is actually _another _good idea!" Kelley reached over and patted Lea on the top of the head like a puppy. "Good for you, hon!"

For the first time, Lea seemed to notice that Kelley was talking down to her. Her eyes narrowed as she stuck out her bottom lip and stalked to her seat. Kelley straightened up, thankful that she was, once again, the only one up front.

"So, in conclusion, our plan is quite simple," Kelley explained haughtily. "We hang around them, see the extent of their problem--our solution--and take advantage of it." She pounded her fist into her palm. "It's of the utmost importance! I regret to say, _for now_, we leave Drew alone. We take care of Jessica. All of us need to try and play a significant part. Here is what we do:

"First, we all see how 'bad' the problem is. We need to try and find out how intense Jessica's feelings are about this. That's right, I know what you're all thinking. That is going to take some pretty subtle sneaking around. Lucky for all of you, I am pretty sneaky myself. I'll take full responsibility for that job. Don't worry, I will make sure that we find out everything that we can. After all, do you think I'd let you down?

"Second, after we find out how big of a problem they have, we rope it in. We all need to 'claim' that we are sorry for our inexcusable behavior. We need to apologize and try and get closer to the little brat."

"Why in the world would we want to do that?" demanded a tear-stained lanky girl.

"Because," Kelley said obviously, a greedy smile overtaking her, "we need to make sure she _thinks_ that we are trustworthy. She needs to think that she can confide in us. The more trust, the more secrets. The more secrets _we_ get to hear. The more we all know, the better we can use those weaknesses and work them to our advantage. We can take the problems and make them worse… until it is too much for them to handle. It won't take long, I can tell. Jessica is very uncertain about the whole thing. It won't take many words to convince her to break it off.

"Drew, on the other hand," she sighed, "is much too determined to make this work. I don't know why he is acting the way he is. Trust me, I've done my research. He's never tried this hard with any girlfriend he has ever had. I don't like the look in his eyes… I've never seen it before. As much as I hate to say it--trust me, I _really_ despise saying it--but I think what Drew said this morning might be true."

"You mean… that he l-l-loves her?" a redhead with a puffy face wailed.

"Yep," Kelley said, her voice sounding much like a growl coming from an angry German Sheppard. "He won't be easy to convince at all. In fact, if we bring it up, he will just walk away and refuse to listen to us. He is… especially angry with me. He knows we are going to try and interfere. Drew is suspicious, so we have to try and talk to Jessica when he isn't around. When he _is _around, talk to Jessica like she isn't the little man-stealer that she is. Try and talk to her like she has feelings." When groans erupted from the crowd, Kelley groaned with them. "I know, I know! I said _try_, okay? Now, we need to make sure that we take care of Jessica first. We need to convince Drew that we are truly apologetic. We need to convince him that we are friends with the only girl in the school that he doesn't give the cold shoulder to. It won't completely work until we have Drew off of our backs, him being suspicious and all."

"So we have to be _nice _to her?" many whined.

"Try to be," Kelley nodded grumpily. "This is the first time I will ever go by this rule in my life, and probably the last. _If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all_. If you aren't going to be nice to her, just don't speak. I'll take care of the talking, if you want."

"Ooh! Ooh! Me too, Kells!"

"Fine, Lea! _We _will do the talking. Now, once we have their trust, we move in for the kill. We subtly convince Jessica that Drew doesn't really have feelings for her, which she doubts already. We need to end this before Drew's feelings grow any more than they are already. It's obvious that if we don't act soon, it will be too late to break them up and get Drew to move on. If we don't act, Drew will have fallen so hard that he can't be pulled back up. So, are you all with me?!"

"YEAH!" everyone cheered in agreement.

"Good. Dismissed," Kelley said bossily, shooing everyone away with her hand. The girls hopped out of their chairs, finally possessing some hope, and turned to leave. Kelley smiled to herself. Things were finally going her way. And if things continued to head in this direction, Drew and Jessica would be no more within the next couple of weeks. She decided to begin her 'couple' research this week. She'd move on to the splitting suggestions after Christmas. Believe it or not, she wasn't planning on dwelling on this during her holiday break. She was focusing on her hopefully-new car that she wanted.

* * *

"No, no, I am perfectly capable of walking home by myself," Jessica insisted, trying to smile at Drew persuasively. He had clasped her hand and begun to pull her towards his car when she began to hesitate. For the first time in a while, the temperature was cool but dry and crisp. There was not any rain or humidity in the air whatsoever, and Jessica was determined to take advantage of the weather before it disappeared as instantly as it had come. She was in the process of trying to convince Drew to let her walk and enjoy the weather.

"I think I should drive you home," Drew shook his head, looking torn. His desire to please her and desire to spend time with her were fist-fighting each other.

"It's really nice outside," Jessica disagreed, "and I want to take advantage of the weather while it's still here. It is surprisingly nice right now. From here on out it will be freezing temperatures, rain, and endless snow."

The word 'snow' made Drew think of the reason he had been wanting to drive her home. His resistance to her whims were strengthened as he remembered his purpose. He'd been hoping to perhaps kiss her goodbye. Yes, maybe it was a little plain, but he was determined to prove to her how he felt as soon as possible.

"I am trying to be a gentleman, I hope you've noticed," Drew added, acting as if that would change her mind. Jessica raised her brows.

"Well, good for you."

"No, haven't you noticed? I am trying to do things nice for _other people_. Trying to reduce the size of the ego."

"Already?" Jessica laughed. She'd only casually mentioned it that morning. Was he really taking it to heart? "I was just kidding! Well, I guess I wasn't, but you know what I mean. You don't have to give me a ride home to prove to me that you're a gentleman."

_That's not what I am trying to prove_, he thought. _And I _will _make my ego smaller. It will make you happy. Plus, I was hoping to do something that would prove something else… _"You're sure you want to walk?"

"Positive."

"Okay, then," Drew resolved, hope still flaring inside of his chest, "I'll walk with you."

Jessica did a double take, looking incredibly surprised. Even the newly-chivalrous Drew was concerned about physical labor and--God forbid--getting _sweaty_. He was honestly volunteering himself to go for a walk?

"Why are you looking so surprised?" Drew questioned, bemused.

"_You _are going to _walk_?" Jessica asked incredulously, unable to keep her jaw from dropping slightly. "_You_? W-a-l-k-ing. You know what that means, right? Effort. Physical labor. Maybe even--gasp--_sweat_."

"Shut it," Drew teased, unable to keep some of the snappiness out of his voice. He reached over and pushed her dropped chin up with his pointer finger. His fingers reached out and caressed the side of her neck. She couldn't control the happy grin that pulled at the corners of her lips. "I want to go walking with you. But if you don't want me to…"

Jessica's right hand reached up to her neck and put her hand on top of his comfortingly. "Hey, wait a minute, I never said that. I was just surprised, that's all." Her fingers curled until they were clutched around his. Jessica's fingers twined with his and their hands dropped until they were by their sides. "I guess I'll let you walk with me."

"How generous of you."

The two turned and began walking towards the school campus exit. They were suddenly brought to a halt. Drew turned his head, looking at Jessica questioningly.

"What about your car?" Jessica asked.

He shrugged, cocky. "Surely by now you know that I have people for that."

"What happened to trying to reduce the ego?"

"Right! Sorry."

"Just kidding! Again. Stop being so hard on yourself all of the time. I never thought that I'd say this, but lighten up a little!" she told him, nudging him pointedly. They resumed walking.

"Ohmigosh, are _you, _out of all people, telling _me _to lighten up?" Drew asked, an offensive demeanor in his tone.

"Yeah, you heard me."

"That might be the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard."

"I'm serious! You need to stop taking everything I say so seriously! Laugh some."

"Scratch it--_that _is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard," Drew told her, shoving an accusing finger into her shoulder. "You are the last person who needs tell anyone anything."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You are probably the most literal person I know. I could tell you that I hate you and never want to see you again while wearing a clown suit and you would take me seriously," Drew shot at her, peering at Jessica skeptically. He dared her to object. She knew it was true; she had to. She denied everything that she didn't want to hear. A credible example would be how she was in denial the entire time about her feelings for him. Until he had come completely clean, she had refused to accept that she had any trace of emotions at all.

"Please!" Jessica scoffed. "That's _so _untrue!"

"Please, that is _so _true," he returned, mocking her tone by raising his voice. "I could… tell you that I plan on murdering the entire student body of Carson High and you would call the police to come detain me."

"I would not!"

"Would to, and you so know it."

"No! You're just trying to turn this around on me. You refuse to except that you need to lighten up because it would suggest the truth!"

"And what _truth _would that be, enlightened one?"

"Enlightened one…" she muttered, shaking her head. She quickly got back to the point. "The truth that states YOU ARE NOT PERFECT."

"Oh, so we're back to that again, are we?" he asked, sounding a irritable.

"Well, yeah, I guess so."

"Well, yeah, I have some news for you," Drew snapped, his patience wearing thin. "I am not the only one at fault here. At least I am not a promise-breaker. I am Drew Hitley! I am a man of my word!"

"What are you going on about now?!"

Neither of them had noticed, but their hands had become unclasped during their squabble and were now balled into fists.

"_Somebody _isn't keeping an open mind!" Drew reminded her angrily.

"I can't believe you are still hanging onto that!" Jessica exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air. "When did that happen? Two and a half months ago?"

"It shouldn't matter how long ago you made it, it should still count! Like I said, someone is going back on their word."

"Well, news flash, Drew, but making someone promise to 'keep an open mind' is a pretty stupid thing to ask!"

"First of all, it _is not _stupid! And second of all, it's the principle of the thing! You made a promise to me and now you are going back on it!" he snapped.

"I am not!" she shot back at him. "I have showed an _unbelievable _amount of open mindness in the past week!"

"Right!" he threw his head back, laughing sarcastically. "I'll keep _my _word and be a gentleman and give you the benefit of the doubt. Please, for the sake of humanity, tell me."

"Two words: _Saturday night_."

Silence.

"Oh."

"Yeah, exactly. 'Oh'."

Drew bit his bottom lip. That hadn't been on his mind at all.

"Exactly, Drew. 'Oh', I agreed to go to the fair with you. 'Oh', I stayed there with you and didn't back out the entire time. 'Oh', I let you--"

"Alright, alright."

"I let you hug me for as long as you wanted," she continued as if he hadn't spoken. "'Oh', do I need to remind you of what happened at my house after you drove me home?"

"I remember that quite clearly," Drew admitted, his voice small.

"Who doesn't?! So, Hitley, do you think that maybe you might be acting a little hypocritical?"

"Perhaps. But only after you admit that you could lighten up just _tiny_ bit," Drew said, trying to compromise. He mustered every bit of electricity inside of himself that he could and attempted to try and make it come out through his bright blue eyes. He needed to use his charm to full affect at the moment. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, his eyes had the same affect on her that it did all of the other girls--she was just better at avoiding eye contact than all of the others. All she needed to do was look up…

"Fine. If it stops the yelling," Jessica subsided, shrugging. He suddenly felt guilty. They were fighting again. He had hoped that all of the competitive squabbles would cease after they started heading down the relationship road, but obviously that was not the case. Now Drew realized that they had released hands and quickly resolved the problem. Jessica noticed the hastiness and desperation in his movement that most people wouldn't catch. However, her interpretation of what it meant was completely off the mark. She stroked the back of his hand soothingly.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked. Drew took cautious care to look into her eyes. It frustrated her that there was so much swallowed in the deep depths of the blue that she didn't understand.

"You honestly think that I am angry with you?" Drew asked her, his voice soft. "That's nowhere close."

Little did Jessica know that he had searched so frantically for her hand because he was scared. The guilt that had taken him over was replaced by fear. He didn't want to lose her. Fighting with her was one thing that he could not stand. It _definitely _was the wrong way to go about showing someone how much you care for them.

**There you go! Ta-da! Now, make me smiley ;) and hit that little review button down there! It would make my day, and it would also help you get your next chapter quicker!**

**..::.::.::LoVe4EvEr::.::.::..**

**~ChAnNyObSeSsEd**


	27. Chapter 27

**Darn that Kelley! She is so dastardly! GASP! What will happen? Just for the record, I am gonna skip over most of that next week cuz that would take FOREVER if I went into detail. I will sum it up in a few paragraphs. But just so you all know, Christmas will be **_**special**_**. What is gonna happen with Jessica's smitten step cousin? What about Drew's plan to prove to Jessica how he feels with a kiss? We'll see!**

For the next couple of days, Kelley was careful to be very in-tune with the whole trust issue between the couple. She eavesdropped when necessary (which was often), hid when the two were within a fifty mile radius, and tried to keep Lea updated. If it had been up to her, Lea wouldn't be included at all, but the girl followed her around like a lost puppy. Anything she heard, Lea heard too. Kelley's original plan had been to find everything out for herself and not inform any of the other girls with any useful information, but the stubby sidekick threw that plan out of the window.

At one point, Kelley had to practically choke the girl because she nearly gave away their position. After that incident, Lea was forced to carry around duct tape incase she was to slip up again. Lea, as clueless as she was, subsided to Kelley's commands. Kelley had a list written down that she always kept within reach.

_**DESTRUCTION PLAN:**_

_**Problem 1: Today is Monday. Hid behind the edge of the lockers and eavesdropped on the sickening couple. I swear, I almost vomited a number of times. Anyway, I heard **_**almost **_**everything I needed to hear. Stupid Lea started blabbing and almost gave away our position. She is now not allowed to listen in with me unless she has duct tape over her mouth. Thank god she's an idiot or she wouldn't listen to everything I say. Why can't everyone else be as smart as her? Well, not **_**smart **_**exactly…**_

_**Problem 2: It's Tuesday. Three more days until we are out for Christmas break. I hid in a classroom right beside The God and The Wanna-be-me. They were talking about the whole 'trust' thing again. Once again, almost threw up on the spot. Thank the Lord I am so amazing and managed to keep my lunch down. Jessica keeps telling him that he doesn't really love her, he just thinks he does. When he started objecting, she said that she knew he loved her, but it wasn't "real love". She said it was just a crush or something and that he needed to stop getting so over-dramatized about it. She is so mental! Hello, God's gift to women is telling you he loves you and you turn him away?! Hate her… **__**L**_

_**Problem 3: Today is Wednesday. Drew looks like he hasn't slept a wink, but he still looks hot! Anyway, Jessica is trying to make him feel better, but he tells her only one thing will help him sleep. He said that she had to accept how he felt about her and he'd stop looking like his dog just got run over. She just sighs and pats his hand. I can't believe I am saying this, but I actually **_**feel bad **_**for the two. I mean, for Drew. He looks miserable! But he can't say I didn't warn him. I knew she wasn't good for him--knew it!**_

_**Problem 4: Thursday--out tomorrow! Drew looks even worse today. Well, bad for him. If any guy looked half as good as he looks right now he'd be on a poster. Back to the point: I can totally read Drew. I recognize that look in his eyes that he has when he looks at her. After all, I have hundreds of guys give me that look throughout my lifetime. He wants to kiss her. Like **_**kiss **_**kiss her. Really bad. I wish he looked at me like that… Jessica is oblivious, as usual. She's so stupid. Almost as bad as Lea.**_

_**Problem 5: FRIDAY, LAST DAY! YEAH! Drew News--he is a wreck. Ohmigosh, he looks like he has never slept before. Seriously, it's that bad. I almost want to see Jessica say what he wants her to say. See, it's that bad! Of course, Jessica can go crawl in a hole for all I care, but I don't like seeing my future husband in so much pain. His gorgeous face is going to get stuck like that if he doesn't lighten up. Anyway, that's all I have to report for now. Over Christmas, I will look at this and plot something out. Right now, it's time to go home and see my new convertible!**_

"Christmas is in a couple of days," Jessica mentioned casually. The couple were sitting together in Drew's car after school. She was trying to make conversation since Drew had taken his seat but hadn't moved. He was sitting there like a statue, staring through the windshield at something invisible that she couldn't see.

"Yep." His voice sounded dead. Jessica frowned guiltily. She knew that his mood was her fault, but it was partly his fault too. It wasn't her problem that he thought he was in love when he wasn't.

"What do you want? Just keep in mind, I'm middle class. I have a budget," she reminded him, trying to make him grin. She'd do anything to take that hopeless look out of his eyes. He barely ever made eye contact with her anymore, and when he did, his once electric sapphires were burnt out and dead. Knowing that she had caused it made it all the more worse. But, she kept reminding herself, it was his fault too.

"Uh, nothing really. Well…" he added, his head turning towards her. "I could think of something."

"Drew, no," she groaned. She hated saying this to him. Every time she did it made him look even worse. But it wasn't her fault! He kept bringing it up and she had to set the record straight. "I've told you a million times already. You're confusing your feelings for something else."

"I'm pretty sure I know what I'm feeling more than you do," he argued. Although most of the passion was out of his voice, he couldn't help but feel angry. How many times did he have to tell her before she'd accept the truth? This was probably the tenth time he had to go over this in the past two days.

Jessica shook her head. "Drew, we've gone over this many times before. You _think_ you're in love, but you're not." Used to, this was quite an awkward subject. But they'd brought it up so many times lately it felt like they were simply discussing the weather.

"I know what I am feeling."

"You think you do."

"I _know_ I do."

"I'll prove it to you."

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?"

Drew stared into her eyes. She could have sworn she saw a familiar spark flow throughout the blue. "You'll see. I know you will."

"Fine. Whatever you want to do. Just good luck convincing me."

"I'm gonna need all of the luck in the world," Drew agreed, dismayed. "But I'll do _anything_. Anything at all."

"I'm sure you will."

The silence almost hurt their ears as Drew drove Jessica home. Christmas wasn't for another three days, and neither had gotten a present for the other. The truth was, both were very hard to shop for. Drew had implied repeatedly what he wanted, but she refused. All he wanted was for her to say that she believed him. She had told him that she loved him, but he was starting to think that she was just being polite. She loved him. Truly, deeply loved him, too, but she wasn't completely aware of it yet. All he had to do was kiss her, and everything would come out into the open. She would see soon enough.

Of course, if he had it his way, he would have kissed her a long time ago. But the kiss that spoke for him had to be special. It needed to be carefully timed and anticipated. He had to make sure he got the right message across. Not only that, but the _intensity _of the message was of the utmost importance. He'd been thinking about her more than usual, which was really saying something. After days of careful deliberation, thinking, planning, and consideration, he'd decided. He was going to do it while he was at her house for Christmas. He didn't know when, he didn't know for how long or even how he was going to do it. All he knew was that it was going to be special; he would make sure of it.

"Anything you want for Christmas that I can actually _buy_?" she asked, smiling. She was trying desperately to lighten the mood. The atmosphere in the car was unbearably lifeless.

He turned to her, grinning appreciatively. Even though his grin was tired, it was bright.

"Ah ah ah, I don't think so," he said, wagging his finger. "If anyone is buying anyone anything, it's _me_."

"Aw, come on. That's hardly fair!"

"No one said life was fair," Drew chuckled. To Jessica's relief, he turned his key that had been sitting in the ignition for what felt like forever. The engine revved to a gentle purr. The car began to move forward. Jessica glanced out of the windshield. The clouds were gathering and starting to fade darker. Her eyes felt as if they had not yet adjusted. She recognized these signs from year to year. _Snow_.

Drew pulled to a stop in front of Jessica's house. The clouds had grown even darker in the short five minutes they had been driving. Drew's eyes lit with wonder as small white flakes started to land and melt on his windshield. He was staring at it like it was the strangest thing he had ever seen. Jessica watched him, amused and entertained. Drew turned his head towards her questioningly.

"What?" he asked.

"Have you ever seen snow before?" Jessica wondered aloud. Her eyes searched his face curiously. Drew shook his head as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Lived in Hollywood my entire life," he said, "duh. It's just retarded here. I have _never _been around this kind of cold before. Or snow."

"Oh," Jessica said, not sure of what else to add. That had been a stupid question. Then Drew asked an even stranger one.

"It's going to be snowing during Christmas, right?" he asked seriously, staring through the glass at the little white dots starting to come down in flurries.

"Uh, yeah," Jessica blinked, unsure how that was really related. "Once the snow starts it usually doesn't stop. By Christmas the stuff will be everywhere." He surprised her again when the old, attractive, happy smile cracked through. His whole face seemed to glow for the first time in days.

"Great," he said, more to himself than to her.

"What are you so happy about?" Jessica asked, flustered. He looked at her, his face still glowing.

"That's for me to know and you to find out, love," he winked. Jessica turned pink at the new nickname. As usual, her change in color made him smile. His eyes had some of their old luster back, the electric quality, the illusion that the crystal water of his irises were swimming. She was glad, but at the same time disoriented. What was up with the sudden change in mood? What did Drew have planned? What was going on?

"Well, have a good Christmas break," Jessica said farewell, pulling on the shiny handle that opened her door.

"Yes, we will," Drew said, his tone making her freeze momentarily. His tone was so alluring, so decided. There was a mysterious hint in it also. She was overwhelmed by a feeling of curiosity and something foreign. She had only felt it once before, and that was Saturday night on the porch. She felt like she was melting into a puddle. She didn't know how else to describe it. Jessica made the mistake of involuntarily looking back over her shoulder.

Drew's face was within inches of her own. Her heart beat double-time. She took a small intake of breath, surprised by his sudden closeness. The sensation that she was melting strengthened. His eyes were smoldering, warm and electric. She didn't realize at all that her nails were digging into the leather car seat.

"I'll see you very soon," he breathed, his breath an inconceivable mixture of spearmint and something sweet. Her head felt like it was spinning. Then she knew why. She cursed at herself. She was forgetting to breathe. _Again_. Her frustration showed on her face. Drew chuckled alluringly when he realized why she was aggravated. "I know my eyes are amazing, but please remember to breathe."

Jessica shut her eyes quickly, knowing it was the only way to snap out of the trance. With an aggravated groan, she turned and opened the door to get out. Why did Drew have to totally disarm her like that? It made her look like a complete pushover! What was he trying to do? Give her a heart attack? One of these days, he was going to do that, and her heart would be beating so fast that she'd die right then and there on the spot.

"God, Drew, why do you always have to do that?!"

"Do what?" he asked innocently.

"Oh, you know very well what," Jessica scolded. "Stop… you know…"

"Do I?"

"Yes! Stop, for the lack of a better word, dazzling me!"

Drew raised his eyebrows. "Steal a line from _Twilight_,why don't ya?"

"Well, excuse me. It's not my fault. You're the one doing it," Jessica pouted, starting to climb out. She didn't know why she was surprised when she felt a hand close around her wrist.

"I'm sorry," Drew apologized, hoping that it would soften her up. "Do you not like it when I _dazzle _you?"

"It's not that--"

"Oh, so you _do _like it."

"Yes, but it's--"

She was cut off when his eyes seemed to flicker again. The sweet spearmint drifted to her nose and she could feel her hold weakening on the door handle. She managed to squeak out, "stop!"

"Am I doing it again?"

"Yeah! And you kn-know it," she mumbled, her voice sounding much too weak for her own good. He winked and clicked his tongue. Her pulse hammered her ears. "It's not funny, D-Drew!"

"Oh, you have no idea how funny it is," Drew shook his head, laughing. "You can't even speak straight. Wow, I had no idea I had this kind of effect on you." He smiled smugly at his newfound weapon.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, Hitley," Jessica huffed. "You're not the only one here who can look a certain way and get what they want."

"I beg to differ," he disagreed, looking at her again. "I'd like to see what your 'secret weapon' is, Kramer." He regretted the words the second they had escaped his lips.

"Okay, then."

Jessica smiled her happiest smile that she could muster. She let her cheeks deepen in color without making any effort to hide it when his eyes were glued to her face and stuck there. She--to her discomfort--let a flattered giggle break through her flirtatious silence. Her giggle turned a little smug when she realized that his breathing quickened. She could tell because the spearmint scent was coming at her tiny little puffs. His eyes narrowed.

"You devious little…" His voice trailed away when she leaned closer. There went his hormones again. A light, fluttering feeling spread from the pit of his stomach to his chest.

Should he kiss her now? No, it wasn't the right time… was it? Nope, nope, not yet.

"Were you saying something?" Jessica asked, her voice as alluring as she could possibly make it. Drew's mouth was clamped shut, not trusting himself to speak. He was afraid of saying something incredibly embarrassing. He could smell her strawberry shampoo. Dang it… she was almost as good as he was. Drew shook his head slowly. "Didn't think so."

"Clever." He tried to sound as unshaken as possible. He was an actor, after all. He should be able to pretend like he wasn't wanting to close the distance between them. Stupid teenage hormones. "Fine. I'll give you credit, Kramer."

"Good," Jessica nodded, backing away. The strawberry scent faded away as she pulled further back. In a sense, he was relieved and dismayed all at once.

"I don't know about you, but I call it a draw," Drew gave in.

"Draw?"

"Yeah. I say we tie in the contest to see who can make the other faint first," he laughed. In truth, she won by a long shot. He'd never been more attracted to her then right then. But, of course, he'd never tell her that. He had his pride.

She shrugged, laughing it off. What an awkward conversation.

"I'll see you in a couple of days," Jessica called, waving over her shoulder. But, for some reason, her body didn't move when she told it to. She just sat there.

"You probably want to get inside," Drew suggested. Then a playful smirk played across his face. "We've been out here fifteen minutes. No telling what you're mom thinks we're doing."

Jessica slapped his arm, her face burning. "As much as I hate to say it, you're probably right. My mom and her weird ideas…" she laughed nervously. "Bye." She hopped out of the car before she said something stupid aloud. Jessica rushed up to her door and knocked without looking back. It was probably best that she didn't. If she had seen the way Drew was looking at her, she would have obediently hopped back into the convertible. Jessica had no idea how much it irritated him to be away from her for more than a couple of hours.

_It's gonna feel so much longer than just a couple of days_, Drew thought, sighing. He put the car in drive and pressed the pedal.

The door opened and Jessica was nearly knocked down in surprise. The face that peered through the crack in between the door and the doorframe was not her mother's.

**Dun Dun Duuuuhhhh!!!!! Who is it?! Guess! I gaurantee most of you will get it right! And are you all excited knowing that the kiss is coming soon? Only another couple of more chapters!**

**Review, please! Press the pretty little button!**


	28. Chapter 28

**OMG I can't believe it! None of u got it right! that's a first… anyway, its not officer roulin. I actually considered that but I decided not to. It could be misinterpreted as something bad, so I am going with someone else. Don't worry, still as much drama! And I am glad u guys are having tingly feelings when you read. That's what I am aiming for. Don't u just love stories that make you turn red from screaming so much?! that's my goal! Comment, concerns, reviews, I like 'em all! I would also like it if you told your friends! LOL all of you are amazing.**

**And THANKYOU ALL FOR HELPING ME REACH AT LEAST 300 REVIEWS! ITS SO EXCITING! I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HOW MANY I GET BY THE TIME IT'S OVER! Anyways, here you go!**

"Kolby!" Jessica said weakly, feeling like she had just had her first real stroke. There stood her obsessed step cousin, standing in the doorway. His familiar chubby face was pulled up into what you could consider a smile. It was hard to tell because of all the 'baby' fat. Aunt Mel liked to believe that it was toddler fat and that he would simply grow out of it, but the truth was, she was quite large herself. Kolby's sandy blond hair stood up in small spikes across his head, revealing his oddly shaped forehead. His smile that he only possessed when he spotted Jessica was pasted onto his face. Jessica felt strangely disoriented. She had odd feeling that she was no longer in her body; that she was just floating beside them, watching with a horror-struck expression.

"Hey, Cousin!" Kolby exclaimed happily in his unfamiliarly deep voice. That's odd. He must of hit puberty over the past year.

"Oh, hey, your voice is deeper than I remember!" Jessica laughed weakly. "Ha ha. So, w-what are you doing here so e-early? You aren't supposed to be here for another _three days_." Her voice was full of impolite surprise.

"Oh, well, you know how I roll," he said cockily, shrugging his oversized shoulders. "Mom is a total pushover."

That was very true. Aunt Mel was putty in her ''handsome little man's'' hands. All he had to do was stick out his bottom lip, say the magic words, and he got anything that his little heart desired. It was that way with anyone is his family. Even though he was fifteen years old now, he just had to throw a tantrum and he got his way. One reason he hadn't moved on from Jessica for so long was because she didn't give in. She had refused to give him what he wanted.

"Yep," Jessica rolled her eyes. She was having a debate inside of her head whether she should take the chance of trying to squeeze in past him or to just run. She sighed, knowing that the second really wasn't a choice. She just needed to get away before the--

"Hug!" Kolby boomed happily, spreading out his huge arm span. Jessica's fake smile faded as he waited, expectant. Her eyes grew wide as she surveyed all of the possible dangers. Yep, _lots_ of dangers. He could do what he did two years ago and hug for far too long. He could do what he did last year and have his hand a bit too low. If things continued in this pattern, she was afraid to think of what this year would have in store for her. But he was her cousin--_step _cousin--and she hadn't seen him in a year. What possible excuse could she have for not hugging him? She sighed.

"Fine," she muttered unhappily. She spread her arms out unwillingly. Before she even had a chance to step forward, though, Kolby was at her side. He grabbed her up in what she assumed was the probably the hardest hug she'd ever endured. Hmm, maybe the audacity of his arms was not completely fat. His tree trunks for arms squeezed her tightly. To her relief, he hadn't tried anything. Thank god. Well, not yet anyway. That was when she realized that his hands were a bit too low that the appropriate height.

"It's so good to see you again," Kolby said, an obvious smile in his voice.

_Pervert! _"You too."

Silence passed between them. He hadn't released her, of course. She had never felt so uncomfortable in her entire lifetime. At last during the past few years adults had been around. Right now, she and Kolby were alone out on the doorstep. Where were the adults when you needed them? Why couldn't her mother have been watching _now _and not Saturday night? At least she could have put a stop to it!

"You look even better than last year," he commented casually. Jessica had trouble resisting the urge to bench slap him and gag.

_Yeah, you'd know, wouldn't you? You're a little too close for comfort! _"Aw, thanks! And you are… uh… your voice is deeper!"

"You said that already," he laughed. There went his hands again. That was when she'd had enough.

"Okay! Uh, I gotta go!" Jessica said quickly. Her sudden outburst took him off guard for just a couple of seconds, which was all she needed. Taking advantage of the sudden looseness of his arms, she broke free of his once-iron grasp and rushed inside. Kolby was still standing outside, completely stumped. In her haste to escape her perverted cousin, Jessica almost ran into someone blocking the entryway to the living room.

"Jessica!" Aunt Mel screamed, startled. "Watch where you are going!" Her aunt placed her chubby hand on her chest, breathing heavily. Not to Jessica's surprise, her dear old aunt had gained weight since last Christmas. Makeup was heavily painted onto her face. Fat rolls were clearly visibly under her chin and on her stomach. Her dark, beady eyes surveyed Jessica like she was something stuck to the bottom of her shoe. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!" She ran a hand through her hairspray-caked sandy hair.

_If the food doesn't kill you first, I'd be glad to._ "I'm sorry, Aunt Mel! I didn't see you!" _Who in there right mind _wouldn't _see you?_

"It's Aunt Melanie to you," she barked. "Now, where is my Kolbykins? He's disappeared!" There was a note of hysteria in her voice.

"Outside."

"_Outside_? You let him go _outside_? It's freezing out there! He could get sick; catch a cold!"

_He was plenty warm from my body heat, I assure you! _"Don't worry, I'm sure he's okay."

"You better hope so!" Mel snapped, her huge form running past Jessica and towards the front yard. Her large figure disappeared after a few moments. Jessica took advantage of her snobby aunt's sudden disappearance and turned to go find her mother. Ms. Kramer was going to get an earful for leaving her alone with her crazy relatives! She was so relieved to say that they were not blood related.

Jessica found her mother in the family room putting the last touches on the Christmas tree. Jessica's anger was doubled. Setting up the decorations and the tree was a family tradition. It was something that the _entire _family did annually. Apparently, her mother had decided that they didn't need to wait for her. In truth, it was the only thing that she really looked forward to every year. So much for that luxury. Jessica reached out and turned a shiny pink ornament around in her hand with a look of disdain on her face. Her mother looked up.

"What?" Ms. Kramer demanded. "You don't like it?"

"It's fine, Mom," Jessica assured her, venom in her voice. "What I don't like is that you did it without me! You know how much I like doing the tree!"

"Hey, in my defense, I wanted to wait for you, but--"

"But what?!"

"But… but your aunt made me!"

"Mom…"

"No, seriously! I wanted to wait for you, and we did… for about twenty minutes before Melanie started getting impatient. I saw the car pull up and I told them to wait for just a little longer, but they refused!"

"Well, why didn't you come get me?!"

"I--_what_? You actually would have approved? I thought I wasn't allowed to interrupt anything! That is the whole reason I didn't come to get you. The car had been there for a while… and I didn't want to be a horrible mother and interrupt anything…"

"N-nothing was going on!" Jessica exclaimed, feeling her cheeks burning. "We were just talking, Mom!"

"Oh," she said, surprise and slight disappointment on her face. "I just wanted to make sure I didn't interrupt any… kissing or anything."

"No!" Jessica shook her head quickly, knowing her whole face was red by now. She laughed nervously. "No… no kissing, Mom."

"My bad. I just thought at the pace you two were going at--"

"Can we _please_ stop talking about this?"

"Sure."

Jessica twirled an artificial ice sickle around in her fingers sadly. Her upset attitude quickly shifted with the words that came out of her mouth next. "Kolby did it again."

Her mother flinched, shivering. "Ugh. I'm sorry, honey."

"Can't you do something about it?" Jessica demanded.

"You know as well as I do that I don't," her mother said apologetically. "The only person that has power to do that is Melanie, and we know that Kolby has her wrapped around his chubby little finger. So, technically, _Kolby_ is the only one with the power to make Kolby stop." Jessica groaned hopelessly.

"It's just _so_…"

"I know, sweetie."

"I found him!" they heard someone scream from the kitchen. "He's safe! I got to him before the hyperthermia could set in!"

Jessica and her mother rolled their eyes in unison before turning to their family with a faux smile of concern.

"Oh, good, he's okay!" Ms. Kramer sighed.

"Of course he is," Aunt Mel said curtly. "_I _saved him, didn't I?"

"Of course," Jessica nodded. Aunt Melanie glared at Jessica for a moment before turning her attention back to her son. She had never liked Jessica. She'd never really had anything against her until her dear son had started hitting on her. Then it was personal. No one was going to steal her little boy away from her, especially some girl that was forced into her family.

"Are you okay, sweet cakes?" she cooed, patting her son's cheek. Kolby nodded and she finally backed away. She straightened up as much as her belly would allow. "Kate, where's the chicken?"

"Top of the fridge, right side," Ms. Kramer answered, pointing to the kitchen politely. Without a word, Aunt Mel stomped to the kitchen. Jessica heard the squeaky opening of the refrigerator door being pulled on a little too hard. She sighed to herself, wondering what she ever did to deserve step relatives like this. Without thinking, her eyes darted to Kolby. He grinned, patting the sofa cushion directly beside him.

"Can't. Homework," Jessica said quickly, dashing up the stairs before anyone could say anything contradicting. She rushed into her bedroom and locked the door behind her. She let herself fall onto her bed, not caring if she landed in an awkward position or if she got a mouthful of pillow. She simply just didn't care. The holidays got worse every year.

Even worse, what would Drew think when he arrived in two days? Once he met her absurd 'family', was he going to turn around right walk right back out of the door? Was he finally going to come to his senses and realize that it was a mistake to get close to _those _kind of people? Well, she knew one thing for sure:

These were going to be a long couple of days.

"Okay, Rachael, I'm gone," Drew called over his shoulder, pulling his arms hastily through the holes in his jacket. It had finally been two days--two long, torturous days--since he'd dropped Jessica off at her house. It was Christmas Eve Day, and he could not recall ever being this excited about Christmas before. In fact, he had never really spent Christmas with anyone but himself. His mother was always off on some island cruise, and Rachael was always out clubbing with her friends. He'd always ended up sitting alone by the pitiful little plastic tree in his living room and counting the large amounts of money he had received. Drew didn't realize until now that all of that joy he had felt while feeling the paper money in between his fingers had been an empty joy. It had simply been greed, nothing more.

"Fine, go, whatever," Rachael answered, looking at her reflection in the lobby mirror. She spiked her thin hair slightly at the edges. "I'm not gonna let you and your… little girlfriend ruin my night. Just go before it starts getting to me." Rachael had been so close to calling her stupid, but she had recently learned that was a mistake. She had been so used to calling his girlfriends whatever she wanted to and he would laugh along, but that was not the case now. If she so much as called her 'dumb' or 'plain', Drew almost blew his top.

"'Kay. Bye," Drew said tonelessly, running to his car. He almost slipped over the foot rug outside of the hotel doors, but he didn't care. He was going to see Jessica in less than ten minutes. He'd get to see her beautiful face, her sweet-smelling hair, her gorgeous eyes, and hear her laugh very soon. That was enough to make him stumble and fall all of the way to his car door.

And the best part was, before Christmas was over, he'd get to have the ultimate Christmas present.

He would finally get to kiss her.

He didn't bother to turn his heater on as he cranked the convertible. Drew skidded out of the parking lot, the back of his car swerving on the curve. Less than five minutes now. The town's lights and sounds rushed by him a seemingly silent whisper as he whipped through the small lines of cars. He didn't care that he was speeding. He didn't care that all of the drivers he was passing was flipping him off. All that mattered now was Jessica.

Jessica was almost giddy while waiting by the doorway. Her breathing was abnormally quick, her eyes glued unblinkingly to the outside driveway. All of the snow was obscuring her view of the street, so she kept her eyes on the driveway. As the snow picked up, she began to worry. He hadn't forgotten, had he? Well, even if he already pulled up, she wasn't sure if she would be able to tell. His angel-white car would probably just blend in with the blizzard that was swirling outside.

"Hey, Jessica, when is this little friend of yours supposed to get here?" Aunt Melanie demanded, her chubby arms barely able to fold over her chest. "If I knew he was going to stand you up, I would have started eating already! Well, who in their right mind wouldn't have seen this coming? I blame myself for my own stupidity. You've never even had a romantic interest before, have you?"

Jessica ignored her aunt's rude comments about her love life, but she couldn't help but wonder if perhaps she had a point. Where was he? Even Drew wasn't low enough to stand her up…

Right?

Her thoughts were disrupted by a knocking at the door. Light, fluttering joy overwhelmed her from her toes to her hairline. A squeal she didn't recognize escaped her mouth. She'd never experienced such a mixture of happiness and relief all at once. Her hand reached for the knob, shaking with anticipation. She jerked the door open as fast as humanly possible. She couldn't prevent the happy smile that spread across her face when she saw Drew's face. It suddenly seemed even more handsome than usual. His eyes seemed to shimmer next to the snow. All Aunt Mel, Drew, and Jessica were surprised when she did something she'd never planned on doing.

Jessica rushed through the doorway, her hair flying behind her. She almost jumped on top of him, she was so ecstatic. She wrapped her arms around his neck and enveloped him in a huge hug. The force of her collision nearly knocked him back into the snow. She jumped up, wrapped her arms around his neck, wrapped her legs around his waist, and squeezed. She'd never hugged anyone so hard in her entire life. He was almost too surprised to hug back--_almost_. His arms wound themselves around her waist and enjoyed the phenomenal scent that was hitting him hard. The electrical sensation roared.

"Well, well, I missed you, too," Drew chuckled in her ear. Jessica had no idea why she behaved in such a manner. She supposed it might have had something to do with being locked up for two straight days with Tweedlefat and Tweedlefatter. As if someone had flipped a switch, Jessica suddenly realized what she was doing. In her mind's eye in looked quite inappropriate. She let go of him all together and took a few steps back. Drew looked very amused.

"Come in if you want," she said quietly, extremely embarrassed. Before he could reply, however, Jessica had already turned and stepped back into the house. She was attempting to hide the blush that was overtaking her cheeks before Drew saw it. She didn't want him doing anything equally as stupid. And to make matters worse, Aunt Mel had been standing right there watching. Jessica could only begin to image the comments and scolds that her aunt had in mind.

Drew walked into the house hurriedly, just now realizing how cold it really was. Once the front door was closed, he pulled off his jacket to welcome the house's warm air. He had felt like he needed defrosting since he had been stupid enough as to not turn the heater on in his car. That changed when Jessica bursts through the door and practically jumped on top of him. His blood suddenly felt like it was boiling. It felt a little too toasty inside, to be specific. Drew walked through the familiar entryway and into the living room. The sight almost made him fall over.

The room had a bright, golden glow to it. The wall's already golden paint seemed to illuminate the room on it's own. It beautifully reflected the bunches of red Christmas lilies that were spread around the room accordingly. There were two seldom candles on the center coffee table, covered in golden dust and holly. On the end tables were a few fragile-looking glass angles blowing trumpets. A cozy fire swayed inside of the fireplace. And the most spectacular sight of all? The Christmas tree. It was big, full, and twinkling. Drew had never seen anything like it. He was sure he couldn't have done a better job himself. Different colored orbs and ornaments covered the tree, only some were blocked from sight by the goldish-orange ribbon that wound around it about four times. The white lights seemed to twinkle within their green haven. And, on top, was a single star; so beautiful, so brilliant that for a split second, Drew assumed it was real.

"Whoa," he whispered. Sure, he was a celebrity, but his mother never decorated for Christmas back at the mansion. She was never home at all during this time of year. He'd been to fabulous Hollywood Christmas parties with every kind of splendor you could imagine, but they didn't seem to amount to this. This was normal; this was cozy; this was natural, not something all fancied up for the cameras. The whole idea of this room and it's purpose blew his mind.

"Is it alright?" he heard a timid voice ask. He turned to see Jessica's mother in the doorway to the kitchen. "I know it's probably not near as gorgeous as some things you're used to, but I tried my best to make it presentable."

"Trust me, it's fine," Drew replied, his eyes glued to the tree. "Actually, 'fine' is quite an understatement."

"I'm glad you approve," Ms. Kramer sighed. "I was practically ripping my hair out trying to decorate a little differently this year. You know, mix things up a bit."

Drew just nodded. His blue eyes were appalled by all of the sparkling gold accents everywhere. They were so subtle, yet so brilliant. He turned when he heard someone bound into the room. Drew surveyed the large boy who came into the room who was looking extremely angry.

"Hey," the boy demanded, stomping up to Drew, "who do you think you are?! Just marching in here like you're all that trying to steal my--"

He was cut off mid-sentence by an aggravated groan. Jessica had come into the room through the kitchen, looking very irritated. "_Kolby_," she hissed, "back up."

"No! He is--"

"_Back up_."

He didn't need to be told a third time. He sighed and took a step back and eyed Drew disdainfully. Kolby's look of hatred slowly turned into thoughtfulness, then surprise. His small, beady eyes widened.

"No way," he breathed, seeming to really be looking at Drew for the first time. "You… are you--?"

"Drew Hitley," Drew introduced himself, eying Kolby with a confused expression. Who was this guy, and why was he acting in such an impolite manner? He'd never met anyone who seemed to hate him even though they'd never met--well, except Jessica.

"Whoa," Kolby boggled, his jaw dropping. "You… you're… you! You're you! Dude, you are so awesome! You are like my idol. I use your advice with the ladies and everything!" He glanced over at Jessica pointedly. "It's not really working, though."

Then Drew understood.

"Who are you?" Drew asked, venom in his voice.

"Jessica's _step _cousin," he answered, making sure plenty of emphasis was being used.

_You say that like it's supposed to make it less creepy_, Jessica thought. "Yep," she said aloud, "for three years and counting." She leaned against the doorframe to the kitchen and crossed her arms. Kolby turned to Jessica, smiling hugely.

"Aw, you counted," he grinned. Jessica made a gagging sound in the back of her throat. However, Kolby either didn't hear it or he chose to ignored it. Drew's mind immediately shifted into attack mode. He went to Jessica's side and patted Kolby on the head like a puppy.

"Aw, thanks, kid," Drew said, his voice incredibly demeaning. "But let me ask you something. How old are you?"

"Uh, fifteen," Kolby shrugged, his eyes scrutinizing Drew suspiciously.

"Fifteen," he repeated mockingly, "huh. That's pretty funny. Let me ask you another question."

"Okay…"

"What would you do if, per say, Jessica--who is _seventeen_, by the way--had a love interest?" he asked. Jessica turned her head towards him quickly. Love interest?

"Love interest?" Kolby asked, his chubby face twisting up in an attempt to think. "You mean like 'boyfriend'?"

"Not exactly," Drew shook his head, seeming to be enjoying a private joke. "'Boyfriend' is a much more official term, and not quite as strong of a word to describe what I'm talking about."

"Well, 'love interest' does not seem very strong, either," Jessica cut in, desperate to be included in the conversation. She didn't like the weird looks boys seemed to be able to give each other and it was like they were having a whole conversation. She was determined to understand what Drew was talking about. That smug expression was the one he used to--and sometimes still did--wear around her, like he knew everything.

"Sorry," he apologized, not taking his eyes off of Kolby. "I guess being a movie star and all, that is the most familiar word to me. But then again, 'true love' seems a little over-the-top, don't you think?"

"I guess," Jessica said uncertainly. "I am about as confused as Kolby on this one."

Drew's body language indicated that he was tuning her out and intently focusing on breaking the apparently very funny joke to her step cousin.

"Repeat the question," Kolby requested, scratching his sandy hair-covered head. Drew sighed and said it again.

"Fine," he shrugged, slowing his voice so that it sounded like he was talking to a second grader. "What would you do if Jessica had a….. if you had _serious _competition?"

"Easy," he laughed, pounding his fist into his palm, "I'd take care of them the old fashioned way." Drew raised his eyebrows skeptically and leaned against the other side of the doorframe that Jessica wasn't occupying.

"Ah," he said shortly.

"Why do you ask?"

"Curious."

Even dimwitted Kolby noticed the inside joke that Drew seemed to be enjoying.

"No, really, why?"

"Just curious," Drew repeated, pivoting his heel and entering the kitchen. He turned with an amused smirk. Both Kolby and Jessica were confused as to what he seemed to be laughing about.

**This one was a little longer! Hope you didn't mind! Just for the record, the album is really coming along! I hope you all like it!**

**~ChAnNyObSeSsEd _out_!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Here is the next chapter, lovelies!**

A vaguely confused Jessica followed Drew into the kitchen, wondering what that was all about or why it was even necessary. Sure, she liked to confused--maybe even make fun of--Kolby every now and again, but what in the world was that? It was just her personality to have a determined undertone to understand her surroundings. Mostly, though, she just hated when people seemed to be enjoying something at her expense--especially Drew.

"Hey!" Jessica whispered, catching up with Drew's pace. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Drew said casually, turning away from her and towards the empty kitchen table.

"No, no, it was something," she disagreed, shaking her head. "Your face was so smug I thought that it would get stuck that way. Or are you smirking so much all of the time that it _has _gotten stuck that way?"

Drew didn't answer her immediately. He just stood there, his hands in his pocket, staring at the table like it was incredibly interesting.

"It was just a little joke," he said vaguely, trying to drop the subject. But knowing Jessica, she would not give up that easily. She didn't.

"Well, if it's so insignificant, let me in on it," Jessica piped, trying to get him to look at her. What was up with his sudden mood change? He pressed his lips together. She could not tell if he was pursing his lips in irritation or doing it because he didn't want something to slip. Well, if it was something he didn't want to slip, too bad. She wanted to know. And if it was because he was aggravated, he'd have to get over himself, because she wasn't letting it go until she heard what she wanted to hear.

"It's not big deal," he tried to say convincingly, a tone in his voice that she didn't recognize. "Hey, when are we eating?"

"I'll tell you later," Jessica said, "after you answer my question." Drew leaned against the counter.

"Is there going to be any turkey?" he asked, as if she'd never spoken. This aggravated her. There was something he knew that she didn't, and he didn't want her to know it. This was not the sense of relief and release she had been looking for when he arrived. It was quite the opposite, actually. If it was no big deal, then why did he refuse to tell her?

"Stop trying to change the subject!" she demanded, pushing an accusing finger into his chest. "What were you laughing at?"

"I just wanted to know what you heard me ask," he said obviously. "If you had a 'boyfriend', I was curious to see what the big lug would do."

"And he told you. What's so funny about that?"

He shook his head, "It's nothing. I wish you would just let it go."

"Tell me," she begged. He looked down at her, his brows raised.

"Why do you want to know?"

Her jaw set, her shoulders tightening. She quoted him with venom. "I'm _curious_."

He rolled his eyes. "You just love to quote me, don't you? Should I be flattered?"

"Not particularly." The waning patience in her voice was evident.

"You're making an awfully big deal out of this. I was just laughing at how he'd never have a chance with you. That's all."

He might be an actor, but he wasn't fooling her.

"Drew!" she exclaimed skeptically. "What is it you don't want to tell me?"

"Why in the world would I tell you if I wanted you to know?"

"Ah ha! So there _is _something!"

"Jessica, you're being stupid--"

"_Stupid_?"

"Well, yeah! You're reading into it way too much! Just let it go!"

"No!"

"Ooh, tensions rising," a voice startled them, coming from the doorway. The large form of Aunt Melanie loomed in the entryway. Jessica eyed her aunt with more distaste than usual. Why couldn't her family just mind their own business? "Don't worry, dear," Melanie cooed, addressing Drew, "no one was nice enough to warn you what you were getting when you entered this relationship, did you? Leave it to Jessica to keep you in the dark." Drew heard Jessica's sharp intake of breath. After a moment of silence, the large woman's beady eyes snapped to her. "Well, don't be rude for a change! Introduce me!"

"Drew, Aunt Melanie, Aunt Melanie, Drew," Jessica said in monotone, her patience almost completely gone. She didn't bother to pretend to be polite to her aunt. Her hatred was evident. Apparently the feelings were mutual.

"Drew Hitley?" her aunt asked innocently, her fat hand placed over her chest. "Oh, what an honor!"

"Well--" Drew began.

"Okay, yay, you've met, now if you don't mind, we kind of are in the middle of a conversation," Jessica cut in, trying to glare at Aunt Mel and Drew at the same time.

"What did I tell you? Completely _rude _and _unmanageable_," Melanie hissed at Jessica, walking towards the refrigerator. Jessica grabbed Drew's wrist and dragged him towards the small laundry room that ran off of the kitchen. She pushed him in and slammed the door behind them.

"I swear, one of these days…" she trailed off threateningly. "Just ignore her while you're here, please. She's just a… turd-head."

"Turd-head?" Drew asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Shut up! It's Christmas Eve. I am trying to not curse."

"Does that include serenity?"

"Yes."

"Then _calm down_," he whispered pointedly, hoping that this time it would get go through her thick skull. "Breathe in, breathe out."

Silence.

"Just tell me."

"_Jessica_," he groaned, "I am not telling you anything! There… there's nothing to tell."

"Yes, there is!"

Drew sighed. He loved Jessica, he really did, but she was so _stubborn_. She needed to learn the meanings of the words 'let' and 'go'. In truth, he'd been laughing at a private joke he found hilariously ironic inside his head. This new competition amused him, but he actually made an effort to hide the jealousy he felt. First of all, it was Christmas and no time for fighting. Second of all, Kolby was her family. Even if they were not technically related, it would not go over well if he threatened her cousin--_step _cousin.

He had laughed because Kolby had obviously been working on Jessica for a long time, and he obviously got on her nerves. Drew had only been around for a little over two months, and Jessica was his--almost, anyway. It was so funny how _he _used to aggravate her and how _he _was the one she tried to avoid, and now she was practically jumping on top of him whenever he showed up. It made happiness well up inside of his chest.

And the kiss was on his mind, too. He was starting to get frustrated with her because she was going to ruin it for herself--and for him. He couldn't let her know that was what he was thinking about. The kiss was supposed to be natural, unplanned. If he told her that he was going to do it while he was visiting for the holidays, it would ruin it and have both of them on the edges of their seats waiting. If she didn't let it go, all of the anticipation and stress Drew had gone through would be wasted. That's why he felt like he wanted to scream at her. She would destroy everything he had worked so carefully to set up for them.

He glared at her with anger. "I am _not _telling you, so stop wasting your time!"

Jessica bit her lip, trying to hold back a retort. That hurt her. They were supposed to be united, right? Wrong. Well, apparently that was how he felt. He didn't want to tell her what he was taking such effort to hide from her. "Fine." Her voice was coated with pain. "Don't tell me. Keep secrets. Whatever. See if I care."

"Jessica!"

His sudden angry outburst startled her and hurt her even more. "Are you mad at me?" she asked, her voice small. Her ridiculous behavior at the front door flashed through her mind. Yep, she knew that he would be disgusted with that. It was all her fault. He still looked angry, but also confused.

"Why do you think I am mad at you?" he questioned. He didn't sound apologetic or like he was trying to comfort her, but like he was curious.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "I have just been stuck in this house with Tweedlefat and Tweedlefatter and I was just excited to see a normal person. I was just kind of excited… I…"

"What?"

Jessica watched him, obviously lost. "What do you mean 'what'? Aren't you mad at me for… you know…?"

"No, now _I'm _lost."

"For… hugging you? When you got here?"

Although the lighting was not very good in the small room, he could make out the red heat overtaking her cheeks. Was she talking about…? Oh, he understood. However, his train of thought was almost lost while he watched her color deepen and remembered the way she'd held onto him. She thought that he was mad at her for being so… straightforward. She had no idea how wrong she was. In fact, it was probably best if she didn't know how much he had immensely enjoyed that. He probably got more of a thrill than was appropriate.

"That… oh, Jess," he whispered quietly, reaching towards her. She could not see very well and was extremely surprised when she felt his arms wind around her. She honestly thought he was more in the mood to punch her. She felt his hot breath spread out along her neck, the spearmint hitting her hard. "That wasn't on my mind until now, actually," he chuckled in her ear. "And, no, I am not mad about that. I am very… well… _entertained _by that."

"Entertained?" she repeated, taking the word into the wrong context. "Drew, I'm sorry--"

"Shhh," she hushed her, pressing his finger against her lips. "Why are you sorry?"

"Well, aren't you?"

"Not at all," he said obviously, pulling her closer to him.

"Oh."

"Yeah. 'Oh'," he laughed, kissing her forehead. "Why would I be mad about that? I… well, never mind, it would probably be better if you didn't know how I was feeling."

She rested her head against his chest. He could feel the heat of her cheeks through his shirt.

_Self-control, Drew, self-control_, he reminded himself constantly.

"So why are you mad, then?" Jessica wondered.

He took a deep breath. "I'll put it this way. That's for me to know, and you to find out."

"What is this little 'plan' of yours, exactly?"

"Like I'd tell you," he scoffed, pressing his face into her sweet-smelling hair. The strawberry was disarming. "I love you," he whispered suddenly.

"Sure you do."

Although her voice was muffled in his chest, he could clearly hear the skepticism.

"Why you don't believe me, I don't understand," Drew confessed quietly, "but I will prove it soon enough. I can promise you that."

"And how, exactly?"

"That's the 'plan' you are not allowed to know about."

"Oh. Well, if it's about me, then why can't--"

"Jessica," he breathed, pressing his finger against her mouth again, "you talk _way _too much."

"Sorry," she mumbled against his finger. "Curious." She smiled, causing him to smile back. Her grin was contagious. He was helpless.

Jessica did not realize that their foreheads were touching until she started feeling that all too familiar feeling: lightheadedness. His sweet breath, his eyes that seemed to glow in the dark, his velvety voice he used when he whispered things in her ear, it was so distracting. It was so distracting that she was forgetting to do involuntary things, like breathing. Once they finally kissed, whenever that would be, she would have to remind herself to not faint. But now, more than ever, she found the idea of kissing Drew extremely appealing.

Things would be solved so easily if they could only read the other's mind. Everything was so much more complicated than it had to be. All it would take was one kiss, no matter how big, how small, how long, or how short. Too bad the two were so clueless. Jessica would understand if she only saw the way Drew looked at her when she wasn't paying attention. Drew tried to explain to her how things were, but it was not something you could put into words. It was one of the things you had to _show _someone. She caught some of his appraising looks, but she didn't see the half of it. If Jessica caught the lovesick way he gazed at her when she was not looking, she would be so embarrassed she would turn ten different shades of pink, which would only make his stares more intense.

Jessica's knees nearly buckled when she could have sworn his lips brushed against hers, but she could have just been imagining things. There was no ignoring the explosion she felt spread at her mouth and go all of the way down to her toes. She giggled nervously.

"What are you laughing at?" Drew breathed softly.

Jessica didn't get a chance to answer. Both were startled and jumped when someone nearby called their names.

"Jessica! Drew! Where are you guys? Dinner is starting in a bit!" Ms. Kramer yelled. Her voice grew louder as Jessica could only assume that she was getting closer. As if reading each other's mind, they jumped apart just in time before the door opened.

"Hey, Mom!" Jessica said brightly.

"Uh, hi, honey," she replied, flustered at finding them behind the closed door of the laundry room. "Just coming to tell you that Christmas dinner is almost ready. Hope I wasn't interrupting anything…"

Jessica giggled nervously. "Nope, nothing, Mom. Right Drew? Nothing?"

He shook his head, not trusting himself to speak. If he acted as convincingly as Jessica, they'd be found out soon enough. One thing was for sure: Jessica could count out acting as a future career.

"Okay," her mother said dubiously, her eyes darting between them. "You two can finish up… _talking_, and then come help set up for dinner."

"Sure thing, Mom," Jessica promised. Her mother looked at them suspiciously, a knowing smile on her face, and closed the door behind her. The light from the kitchen disappeared, leaving them alone once again in the poor lighting.

"You are probably the worst actress I have ever seen, and that's saying something," Drew whispered.

"Takes one to know one."

"I'll have you know, I've won all kinds of awards, including a _Golden Globe_, thank you very much! I was voted Hollywood's Hunkiest--"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've heard this all before. I could probably quote you." There was a grin in her voice.

"Well," Drew said softly, taking her hand, "as much as I'd like to get back to where we were--" Jessica blushed furiously, "--I kind of think we were discovered. So, what do you say we go out there and help out your mom?"

"Is _Drew Hitley_ volunteering himself to do work? Not only work, but _chores_?" Jessica gaped, her voice full of mock surprise.

"Oh, ha ha, you're so funny," Drew rolled his eyes. "Haven't you learned by now that I am changing? Getting nicer and nicer every day, just for you."

"Sweet," she smiled, squeezing his hand affectionately. "Let's get out there before Mom has a conniption."

Drew nodded in agreement and opened the laundry room door. He pulled her through the doorway into the kitchen, releasing her hand and heading towards the cabinets. He opened them up to find coffee cups stacked neatly.

"Wrong one," Jessica told him, going a few rows down and opening another pair of cabinet doors. She reached in and got out five plates and cups. Drew sighed. He was not used to this whole 'do my own work' and 'get my own plate' thing. What kind of world did these people live in? Jessica handed him the stack of breakable white plates. "Go set those on the table," she directed him. Drew did as he was told.

"There are only four chairs," he called to her, counting the chairs again. There was him, Jessica, her mom, her unfriendly aunt, and her fat, perverted cousin. That was five, right? Jessica sighed.

"I was hoping you wouldn't notice," she groaned, pulling up another chair. "I was hoping I could just put Kolby's food in a dog bowl on the floor and let him eat it. I guarantee you, he'd do it in a heartbeat if that is where the food is." Drew laughed.

"What's your cousin's deal, anyway?" he asked, now looking around for the silverware drawer. "I know you aren't technically related, but even _he's _got to realize how creepy it is."

"Not really," she sighed, this particular subject not her favorite. "All he knows is that he thinks I'm good looking, and we aren't blood related. That's all he cares about. That, and food. I swear, it gets worse every year. We need to find him a girlfriend so I won't have to go through a fourth year of torture next year."

"I second that," Drew agreed, finally finding the drawer containing the utensils. "I don't particularly enjoy competition. Like, if you didn't stop me, that nerd's glasses at the fair wouldn't have been the only thing of his I would have broken."

"Calm down," Jessica rolled her eyes, "there is _no _competition." Drew turned from the drawer, taking care to look at her. He winked.

"Good," he said happily. "I know that the little fifteen year-old pudge is no competition, but nevertheless, I can't help but feel a little irked."

"_Irked_?" Jessica repeated, laughing slightly. "You mean, _jealous_?"

"No, not jealous," Drew said determinedly, "I am just slightly….. aggravated."

"Aw, you're jealous," Jessica cooed, "that's adorable!"

"I'm not _adorable_," Drew mocked, not happy about being talked to like a toddler. "I was just a little bit irritated. Just _irritated_, not _jealous_--or _adorable_."

"Awww, yes you are," Jessica disagreed, using the same downsizing tone. She walked over to him and pinched his cheek. "Someone is jealous of a fifteen year-old!"

"No, I'm not!" Drew whined. He pushed her hand away, not realizing that his bottom lip was sticking out slightly. She laughed. He couldn't help but smile slightly at her giggle. Their little squabble was interrupted by someone calling from the living room.

"Hey, Drew!" Kolby's voice called, sounding amused and a little smug. "Come here! You want to see something?" Drew looked at Jessica pointedly and sighed. He took a deep breath.

"What is it?" Drew called good naturedly. Jessica was genuinely surprised by his ability to change his voice when it was obvious his expression was quite the opposite.

"I just found something," Kolby laughed. "Jessica's row of old school pictures. All the way from kindergarten to eleventh grade! Oh, wow, this is _rich_!"

Drew's face lit up in immediately interest. He normally wouldn't have cared very much, but when the look of the utmost horror crossed Jessica's face, he was suddenly very interested. What did the pictures look like if she was so ashamed of them?

"Oh, really?" he called back to her step cousin, his head tilting slightly towards the living room but his eyes never leaving Jessica, torturing her playfully. "They good?"

"Depends on what you mean by 'good'!" Kolby answered, sounding like he had just got finished laughing extremely hard. "Oh, whoa. Hey, Jess, lovin' your school picture from ninth grade!"

Drew almost burst into laughter just watching her color deepen. He couldn't miss this rare, incredibly tempting opportunity. "I'll be there in a sec!"

"No, no, that's okay," Jessica chuckled nervously, "you don't have to."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Positive! Sure? I am… I am _so _much more than sure, I am ecstatic! I am so--oh, please, Drew, don't look at those!" Jessica begged him, pulling on his jacket collar.

He raised his eyebrows innocently. "But why not?"

"It's just… not necessary," she struggled for words, her breathing uneven. "I'll just put it mildly. They aren't… my best pictures."

"Oh, how can bad can it be?" he asked her skeptically, his head tilting to one side.

"Very bad. Very, _very _bad," she pleaded, clasping her hands together. "Let's just say that my awkward stage lasted a little longer than one or two years. I will get on my hands and knees and beg like a dog if you want me to."

He just grinned, clicking his tongue and winking. "You think I'm gonna miss this?" He didn't give her time to answer. With that, he turned and followed Kolby's voice into the living room. With regret, Jessica followed him with her face buried in her hands. She now wanted to strangle Kolby more than ever.


	30. Chapter 30

**Hey, hey, hey peoples! How's it going? Here is the next chapter for all of my amazingful, fantastic, awesome readers! Just remember to REVIEW! I feel the need to remind all of you often because I am just good like that.**

**ROFLOL**

**Here you go, my lovely readers!**

Jessica squirmed in her chair at the dining room table, miserable. She buried her face in her hands, punching her fist into her forehead. However, no one seemed to notice her distress. Ms. Kramer was busy putting the finishing touches on the Christmas dinner, Aunt Melanie was preoccupied with leaning over her shoulder and throwing comments like 'that could use more cheese!', or 'more whipped cream, Kate, more whipped cream!', and Kolby and Drew were sitting across from her, still entertaining themselves with her past school pictures.

"Oh, wow," Kolby laughed, pointing to a wallet sized photo he pulled out of the stack on the table. Jessica knew one thing for sure. The second their backs were turned, all of those pictures were taking a trip to the fireplace. "Hey, man, check this one out!" He held the image up for Drew to examine.

"Whoa, what happened?" Drew chuckled, his eyes wide.

"_Two days _before picture day, Jessica fell down the stairs," he explained, not bothering to hold in a snort. Jessica's head snapped up, horrified. Not the tenth grade picture. Anything but that.

When Jessica was sixteen years old--just last year--she had been determined to change the unfortunate tradition of horrible, embarrassing school pictures. She had picked out a nice outfit worthy of the populars, high heels, and her mother had finally caved on the mascara. She had been so determined to change the rut she had been in since second grade, she had bounded down the stairs--a little too excitedly. Being as clumsy as she was, her coordination not yet caught up with her, she tripped over her own feet and fell down half of the flight of stairs. Jessica sighed at the memory of the pain and embarrassment she had felt. As it turned out, she had nearly broken her nose and had gotten carpet burns on her forehead. So for her school picture, Jessica ended up having a scab on her head and wearing a big white bandage over her nose. She was barely even able to smile when the camera flash went off. It had looked more like a grimace of pain.

And now Drew was looking at it. Lovely. Absolutely lovely.

The celebrity was looking at the picture like he'd never seen anything like it. Jessica couldn't tell if he was laughing at her or looking at it in disgust. Both terrified her.

"So," Kolby announced, sounding like he had just presented a case full of gold, "those are the pictures of Jessica Kramer from year 1998 to 2008!"

"2008? It's 2009 right now. Shouldn't there be one more?" Drew wondered aloud.

"I guess," Kolby agreed, his chubby face twisting in confusion. He picked up the entire stack and sorted through them, his beady eyes searching. "Oh, here it--no, never mind, it's her eighth grade."

Drew looked around the table, seeing if maybe a photograph had gotten pushed away accidentally. With no luck, he turned around in his chair and scanned the floor. He ducked under the table. Finally, he had luck. He saw a square piece of white paper upside down, lying beside his chair leg. He reached his hand towards it.

"Found it!" he told Kolby, leaning back up. He brushed his blond hair out of his blue eyes. Drew held it out for both of them to see. The two of them prepared to laugh again, cracking wide smiles and started chuckling before they even looked at the picture. When the beady eyes and the sapphire eyes settled onto the image, their smiles vanished and they were quiet immediately.

"Whoa," they said in unison.

The picture of Jessica stared back at them. Her bright eyes seemed to twinkle, her wide, cheery smile spread across her face. Her skin tone was even, unlike ones of years before when she's had a pimple here and there. Her dark, shining hair fell around her face, flipping at the ends until it reached her chest. Her teeth were straight and glimmering white, erased of any evidence of braces or a retainer. And the best part? A light blush was on her cheeks, brightening and pink. The right corner of Drew's mouth curled up into his attractive crooked smile.

"This is my favorite," Kolby said immediately, not blinking. Drew gave him a well-measured glare and returned to gazing at the photo. His ocean blue eyes left the image and rested on the real Jessica sitting across from him. Her chin rested on her palm, watching them with a miserable expression on her face. He waited until he caught her eye.

"This is nice," he said softly, genuinely. He winked, causing an exact copy of the slight blush that was in the picture to rise to her cheekbones. "Can I keep this?"

"Uh," Jessica began, flustered that they had found an image that was not laughable, "sure. If you want. I can't image why you would want to keep that stupid thing, though." She was still sour at the fact that Drew had ignored her begging and went ahead and looked at the pictures. She also felt resentment towards the fact that he sat there and laughed right in front of her. Talk about having no class.

Drew didn't reply, he just raised his eyebrows skeptically and turned the image around to where it was facing her. She looked at the picture with disdain. She didn't see what was so special about it.

"You look beautiful," Drew said quietly, indicating towards the picture with his index finger. "You did in all of the pictures."

Now it was Jessica's turn to laugh. "Oh, ha ha! Yeah, right, sure I did! That's why you were laughing at all of them, am I right?"

He shrugged guiltily. "Actually, yes. If it makes you feel any better, as impossible as it may sound, some of my past pictures don't look the best."

Jessica gasped in fake surprise. "_What_?"

"But seriously, though," he continued, "this is my favorite. Can I keep it in my wallet? It is yours, after all. See, I'm being nice and asking before I take stuff."

"I said you needed to work on your ego, not that you stole things," Jessica rolled her eyes. "But… I appreciate the effort. Sure, have it, burn it, cut it up, mount it on a wall, I don't care."

"You don't like it?" Kolby asked, genuine surprise in his voice. "You look fantastic!" Drew took a carefully aimed jab at his ribs with his elbow and continued to look at Jessica disbelievingly.

"As much as I hate to say it, Kolby is right. What's wrong with the picture?" Drew questioned curiously. Jessica crossed her arms and took a careful look at the photo.

"It looks like all of the others to me," she shrugged.

Drew stared at her for a moment, the longtime assumption that she had mental issues coming back to him. Was she crazy? She looked gorgeous! She still did look gorgeous. Either, one: she was just being modest, or two: she honestly didn't see a difference between this picture and the broken nose one.

"Believe what you want to believe," Drew gave in, knowing that it was no use trying to change the mind of Jessica Kramer, "but _I _think you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, placing the picture gingerly into one of the leather pockets. He eyed it fondly before closing it and placing it back in his pants pocket. He looked over at Kolby, who was looking like Drew had just told him that he planned on killing his mother.

"Flattering," Jessica rolled her eyes, though it was obvious she was flushing brilliantly.

"Dinner is ready!" Ms. Kramer exclaimed brightly, coming through the door. She looked slightly annoyed. The explanation quickly presented itself when Aunt Mel came bounding out at her heels, in the middle of objecting.

"Actually, I think the casserole could use a little more salt," she was saying. Jessica's mother pursed her lips momentarily before replying.

"We don't want it to have too much, Melanie," she explained politely. "I realize that it's Christmas, but we still need to watch what we eat. Too much sodium is bad for your health."

Mel opened her mouth to argue, but Jessica spared her mother.

"Let's eat!" Jessica exclaimed, rubbing her hands together. "Mom, do you need help bringing out the food?" The family had ultimately decided that it would be best to eat in the small dining room, even if space would be a little tight. It had a much better atmosphere than the white plainness of the kitchen.

"Actually, I need to take care of something really quick," Ms. Kramer said hurriedly. "I need to go plug the tree back in. Would you and Drew mind bringing the food out?" Only Jessica and Drew seemed to notice a smug undertone in her request.

"I'd be happy to," Drew replied, sliding his chair back and going into the kitchen. Kolby and Aunt Melanie were soon the only ones sitting at the table, waiting hungrily for their gigantic dinner.

Jessica followed Drew into the kitchen, curious at why her mother had been determined to have the two of them in the room alone. Since she had lived with her mother for so long, Jessica's instincts told her to carefully examine her surroundings before taking one more step. When Drew continued forward, Jessica stopped him with her arm.

"Hold on," she cautioned, her eyes scanning the kitchen frantically.

"What is it?"

"Wait, just looking."

"For…?"

"Anything suspicious," she answered obviously. When Drew continued to look oblivious, she explained with a sigh. "Surely you noticed that little smirk she had on her face? That can only mean one thing."

"And what is that?" Drew asked, getting impatient. He wanted to eat!

"I don't know! That's why I'm looking," Jessica told him, peering behind the refrigerator. He looked at her like she was crazy.

"Talk about paranoid. Look, Jess, there is nothing here. Let's just hurry up and get the food out there. I'm going to die of starvation!"

Jessica turned away from the fridge until she was facing him. "Overly dramatic much?"

"Well, I am a movie star."

Jessica looked to the ceiling exasperatedly. That is when something caught her eye. Sure enough, there was the suspicious item she was looking for. She sighed.

"What are you being paranoid about _now_?" Drew groaned. Jessica didn't answer him, she was just mumbling to herself quietly, her face deepening in color for no apparent reason. Drew watched her as she dragged a chair from the kitchen table over to an area directly beside them. When he continued to look at her like she was crazy, Jessica answered his question by pointing upward. His eyes followed her finger, resting on a single branch with white berries above her head. He was tempted to step under and grab her up in his arms, but the timing was not right. That would be a cheap shot.

Jessica climbed onto the chair carefully, reaching up to the ceiling and taking the branch of mistletoe off of the single piece of masking tape that held it up. She twisted it around in her fingers, muttering to herself. "That devious little--"

"Why didn't I think of that?" Drew asked himself, although Jessica could hear him clearly. Although her cheeks burned, she refused to acknowledge that Drew noticed or she'd do something stupid like hold it above their heads. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but be slightly irked with her mother. Was when they kissed any of her business?

"Sorry about that," Jessica apologized, tossing the plant into the trashcan. She turned away from him and picked up a casserole dish. "Now, come on, Hitley. Let's get this food out there before you _starve_."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Drew laughed, picking up a nearby dish of chicken legs. "This might not be crème Brule, but it smells good enough to eat."

"Well, I hope so. My mom's been cooking and working on all of this for two days without stopping. Even if it tastes like rotten eggs, you tell her that it is the best thing you've ever had, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," Drew winked, picking up another plate and walking to the dining room.

* * *

Once all of the dishes and bowls of food were laid out onto the table, Aunt Mel almost had to be restrained not to attack. The large majority of food ranged in height and consistency. At the right side of the table was fully soups and salads, covered with vegetables and dressings. Cornbread was juicy and buttered on a plate beside them. In the middle of the table, meats and side dishes were covering the tablecloth. A large, delicious-smelling turkey was the centre of the masterpieces, accompanied by chicken legs, chicken breasts, and deer patties. Garlic mashed potatoes and green beans produced a mouth-watering aroma. On the other end of the table, desserts reigned. A large, strawberry New York cheesecake and a big plate of brownies were in the middle, while blueberry cobbler and a tub of ice cream waiting inside a bowl full of square ice cubes were on the outskirts. Drew wasn't sure if he'd ever seen such a mouthwatering arrangement, and considering he'd eaten at world-famous restaurants, that was saying something.

Jessica rose from her seat, giving her mother a hug "Thanks, Momma!" she smiled, squeezing her tightly.

"Sure, honey," she grinned. Jessica leaned down further and put her mouth subtly beside her mother's ear.

"By the way, Mom," she whispered, "nice try."

"Dang it," her mother spat, reaching for a chicken leg. "I should have known you'd catch that. Well, you can't blame a girl for trying."

"We'll do it when we're ready," Jessica told her, this subject quite uncomfortable, "so don't push us, okay? Promise me?"

"Promise," her mother sighed. Jessica nodded in a satisfactory way, returning to her seat. However, what she didn't know was that her mother had her fingers crossed under the table. "Dig in!" she announced.

Aunt Melanie's chubby hands moved with the speed and velocity that shouldn't be possible for someone of her size. She grabbed and snatched at least three of everything. Jessica was starting to think that she was going to have to get a second plate. Well, she wasn't getting the fatty another plate, even if her mother glared when her aunt snapped at her to get one. She wasn't going to help fatten Aunt Melanie more than necessary. It would make her smug and happy, which was something that Jessica couldn't have.

Her son almost moved with the same rapid movements, except he seemed to not have years of experience behind him. Kolby grabbed five different sections of turkey and slapped a piece of cheesecake onto his plate. Drew, despite his urge to grab one of everything and pig out, knew that he had to stay fit. He compromised by taking it slow. He did, however, get a healthy helping of mashed potatoes. Jessica took a piece of turkey and some green beans while her mother took things in mediation.

Aunt Melanie seemed to be enjoying herself more than anyone while eating, which was why Jessica was shocked when she put down her fork and turned to Drew.

"So, Drew," she began, wiping some grease off of the corner of her mouth, "tell me, what's the secret?"

"Secret?" Drew asked, also halting his eating to talk.

"Yes, yes!" she said obviously. "Well, I am not sure if _secret _is really the right word. Maybe 'reason', perhaps?"

"You've lost me," Drew said, his shoulders rising and falling in a shrug.

Aunt Mel sighed and took a drink of her glass of Coke. "Why are you dating _her_?"

Jessica's hand tightened around the handle of her fork, the metal edges digging into her skin. She hated her aunt. She really, really hated her. Why in the world was that any of her business? And why, out of all times, did she have to bring that up _now_, at the table, in front of everyone? But she couldn't help but be just the _smallest_ bit thankful. That had been something she wanted to know the answer to herself, and she hadn't had the nerve to ask him.

Drew looked from her aunt, to Jessica, and back to her aunt. He was obviously confused.

"What's the reason that you're insane enough to go on a date with _her_?" she repeated, although she was really thinking 'it'. "Do you owe her a favor? Blackmail? What?"

Drew was appalled. Did the woman not see that Jessica was sitting _right there_? Was she really rude enough to ask questions like that right in front of her? Something told him yes. "I'm dating her because I want to," Drew said, icily polite.

"Oh, is that so?" she asked, sounding amused. "Do you even know what you're doing? I mean, did you think things through before you went through with this?"

"Explain."

"Well, the truth is, we all were starting to worry," she blabbed, taking a huge bite of chicken. "Jessica hadn't had a boyfriend, let alone a crush, in quite sometime. I was starting to assume that she was a--"

"Melanie!" Ms. Kramer scolded, taken aback. If she felt that way, it was no comparison to how angry and embarrassed Jessica was right now.

"What? Can you blame me?" she demanded, sounding like she was getting attacked for merely mentioning the weather. "I mean, she's never even had a boyfriend before."

"Well, nothing says you had to say that _aloud_," Ms. Kramer hissed, banging a fist on the table. She was completely offended that even _Mel_ would say something like that out loud.

"Just letting the boy know the truth!" Melanie spat, still chewing the chicken. She ignored Ms. Kramer from then on and turned to Drew. "I assume you didn't know _that _little fact, did you? Let me guess, Jessica kept you in the dark about that little fact, too?"

"I'm not sure if--" Drew began.

"I mean, I'm sure she's holding out on you, too," she continued as if Drew hadn't spoken. "Stupid kids today. So resistant. Has she even kissed you yet?"

Jessica flushed, wanting to spear her aunt with the meat-cutting knife that was less than three feet away. She begged to the Lord that Drew wouldn't reply.

"No," Drew said shortly, looking like he wanted nothing more than to stab the woman himself. However, he didn't really mind some of the personal information about Jessica that this woman seemed to be gushing with.

"Just letting you know," her aunt shrugged, "she's a virgin."

That was it! Jessica couldn't stand it anymore. She did the only thing she knew that she could do that would shut her up. Jessica picked up her spoon, loaded it with green beans, and held it at a certain length out from her. No one seemed to notice what she was doing. They were all too busy staring at Aunt Mel incredulously. She put her pointer finger on the edge of the spoon, pulled back on it, lined it up with Aunt Melanie accordingly, and released.

Too bad for Jessica, her aim was horrible. Instead of coming in contact with the desired target, the wad of beans curved over to the right. They collided with Drew's right cheek and splashed slightly onto his right eye. Jessica gasped and covered her mouth. He turned his head slowly, looking at her with an unfathomable expression.

"Oh my gosh, Drew, I am so--"

She was cut off by a mound of mashed potatoes hitting her square on the nose and dripping down to her mouth. She shut her eyes and blew sharply out of her nose to release some of the potatoes that had covered her nostril. Drew smirked, his mashed potato-covered hand still raised in the air.

"What did I tell you?" Aunt Melanie asked, raising her hands in the air. "Completely disrespectful!" She seemed to be oblivious to the fact that Jessica had actually been aiming at her. That was when she felt a cold, squishy substance slam onto the back of her neck.

"Oops, sorry, Mom," Kolby chuckled, snorting, "my hand slipped!"

"How _dare _you take part in her childish behavior!" Mel shrieked, slapping a piece of cheesecake into her son's hair. His mouth was agape, completely surprised that his mother had pelted _him _with food.

Then, Hell broke loose. Food was being thrown everywhere, at everybody. Ms. Kramer was standing up, her hands held in front of her defensively, trying to calm everyone down. Foods of different colors and multitudes were flying everywhere in front of her. "Everyone!" she exclaimed. "Please, control yourselves! This was meant for _eating_, not for ammo! No, Jessica put that down! Don't you dare throw--oh, what did I tell you, young lady?!"

"Mom, it's Christmas, lighten up!" Jessica yelled over the commotion. "Have some fun!"

"I spent days working on all of this!" she cried as Jessica held her plate over her head as a shield. Then, a brownie hit her right in between the eyes. She sighed. "Oh, who am I kidding?" With that, she threw a huge bowl of soup right at Aunt Melanie. The tomato soup drenched her dress, her sandy hair dripping and her makeup running.

"Kate, how dare you!" she screamed, squeezing out the corner of her dress. Mel reached for a brownie as ammunition. Ms. Kramer disappeared behind a huge cookie sheet, deciding to join ranks with Kolby, who was apparently only interested in hitting his mother--and occasionally Drew. Jessica ducked under the table, praising herself for her great idea. Being able to throw messy, heavily staining food at her aunt felt _so _good. She continued to scurry along on her hands and knees, being careful not to be noticed. That was when she hit heads with someone.

"Ouch!" she said, rubbing her forehead. She looked through her fingers that were draped over her eye, a pair of brilliant blue eyes peering back at her.

"My bad," Drew grinned. They both were reminded of the day after they met when they had collided in the hallway. That was the day when, after a lot of prodding, Drew had learned her name.

"Is your mission in life to injure me as much as possible?" Jessica questioned accusingly, raising her eyebrow. She grinned at the reminisce of that day. Drew smiled back, recognizing her quote.

"Uh, no," he said playfully, crossing his eyes. She laughed the laugh he loved so much.

"So, on a serious note," she began seriously, "would you be interested in joining ranks? I think we need to team up. The more united we are, the less likely it is that we will be hit."

"Hmm, I don't know."

"You _don't know_?" Jessica repeated incredulously.

"I don't know. It wouldn't be fair to everyone else."

"Who cares?"

"I thought I told you," Drew explained, "I am trying to be a better person. It would be unfair to everyone else. So, all I have to say is…" he trailed off, lifting up his hand, which was full of chocolate icing. She eyed his hand with horror. He squished it into her hair and smeared it around in circles. She whimpered, looking at him angrily. "All is fair in love and war."

**The more you review, the faster the get your next chapter, duckies! Push the pretty button!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Let me tell you something, peoples. I want to make sure all of you are aware of how appreciative I am of you guys. This wouldn't be worth writing if there weren't people around to read it. So, I want to formally thank fan fiction and all of you for doing what you do. It is very special to me. So, just as a special thank you, I am going to give you a sneak peek to the album. Here is your preview!**

**This is track 11- (about Drew's feelings towards Jessica that he has never felt before) **_**Sparks: Coldplay**_

**Look for it on you tube. That's how I plan on making it work. You just look for them on you tube, and if they aren't there, they are on iTunes.**

Precisely one hour later, everyone was panting, leaning up against the wall. The food fight was finally over, considering all of the food was completely gone or on the walls and floor. Everybody looked to Ms. Kramer, expecting her to be extremely upset.

"Okay," she said quietly, flinging a piece of ketchup that was stuck to her chin on the floor, "that was actually kind of fun." She laughed weakly. "Jessica, start cleaning up. Everyone else, let's head to a bathroom and tidy ourselves up."

"What?" Jessica demanded. "Why me? All of you played as much part in this as I did!"

"Yes, honey, but you started it."

Jessica sighed, huffing and puffing as she leaned down and started picking up parcels of food. This was going to take forever to clean up. What was she supposed to do about all of the stains? She supposed she would have to break out the chemicals and the steam cleaner. Kolby turned around with a laugh, licking the spaghetti sauce off of his hand. He turned to Drew as Ms. Kramer and Aunt Mel left the room to tidy up, indicating to his other arm that was still covered in food and dressings. "I'm saving this for later," he grinned, turning around again and walking out of the room. That left Jessica on the floor alone, picking up food, and Drew standing there, watching her with a new look in his eyes. She looked up questioningly, blushing slightly.

"What?" she asked, giggling nervously. Her laugh made him smile charmingly, his eyes still not leaving her. "Drew, why are you looking at me like that?"

"You've got…" he trailed off, pointing to his forehead. Her hand snapped to her head, feeling a drippy substance running down her face. She wiped it off with the back of her hand, seeing that it was green. Green bean juice.

"Oh," she blushed, grabbing a napkin off of the table and cleaning her face off. He continued to stare at her, his eyes shining. She stared back, unsure what was wrong now. "Didn't I get it all?"

"Yep," he said quietly, unblinkingly. He popped the 'p' in the word. She smiled.

"Then why are you looking at me?"

"Uh…" he chuckled, shaking his head, finally looking away, "this is embarrassing."

"No, what is it?" she asked. "You found out pretty embarrassing stuff about me tonight. Spill."

He eyed her again, his ocean sapphires gleaming. He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Sorry for staring," he apologized quietly, "you're… just… uh…"

"I'm what?"

"You're so beautiful," he said honestly, smiling sheepishly. She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, feeling her cheeks burn hotter than maybe they ever had before.

"Yeah, right," she rolled her eyes. "I'm sure I look great with tons of chocolate icing in my hair." She eyed him accusingly. "Thanks to someone."

"I told you, all is fair in _love _and war," Drew said slowly. "And, yes, actually, you do."

"Thanks for the flattery, but not much can make this moment very exciting. As you can see, I got stuck with clean up duty."

"No, _we _got stuck with clean up duty," he corrected her, walking to her side but not sitting down. She looked up at him.

"No, _you _didn't, _I _did," Jessica said, confused. "No one says you have to stay here and help me. I figured you'd want to go to the bathroom and clean up your _hair_."

Drew rolled his eyes. "I'll clean up later, love." He knelt down beside her, assisting her with blotting the rug where tomato soup stains were spread across the carpet. Jessica lifted up her paper towel, looking at the wet print on the bottom.

"This will take a while," she warned.

"I know."

His voice was extremely close. She could feel his breath on the side of her face. She was almost frightened to turn her head, afraid that if he was close enough, she would do something she'd regret. The gleaming jewels he had for eyes would be her breaking point, she knew it. She refused to turn her head, her heart trying to jump out of her chest. For some reason, she had a feeling that Drew could hear her heart beat.

"I'm willing to do anything that you want me to," he whispered truthfully, taking the paper towel from her hands and throwing it into a garbage can behind him. He tossed it without looking away from Jessica, who was refusing to make eye contact with him for some reason. He wanted to kiss her so badly. He wanted to do it right now, but only if she was ready. Why did he have a feeling that she was ready, but she just didn't know it yet?

For some reason unknown to him, he found her extremely attractive with food in her hair and on her clothes. She looked adorable, he thought. Plus, he didn't know that she had such a devious side. Who would have thought that Jessica would start a food fight? He spoke his thoughts aloud.

"Who knew that you had such a rebellious side?" he chuckled softly. "It's hilarious!"

"Yeah, well, just so you know, I wasn't aiming for you," Jessica told him, resuming to pick up things off of the carpet. "I was aiming for Aunt Mel, but I might have launched the ammo a little too hard."

Drew laughed. "Oh, that's a relief. I was wondering why you'd be mad at me. Gosh, talk about rude. Some of the stuff she was saying, eh? Ha ha," he laughed weakly. He regretted this the second it exited his mouth. Why did he have to bring that up? Especially the whole 'virgin' thing… that was totally uncalled for.

"Yeah," Jessica laughed, equally as weak if not more, "and embarrassing. _Really _embarrassing."

"Why were you embarrassed? You know I don't care about any of that stuff."

"You don't?" Jessica asked, surprised. She turned her head towards him. She got to her feet. He copied her, his eyebrows pulling together as he took her hand.

"Of course I don't," he told her, sounding hurt. "Did you honestly think that I did?"

"Kind of," she admitted guiltily. Jessica shifted her feet nervously. "Didn't all of your other girlfriends…?"

When he continued to look lost, she continued, wishing that she could change the subject.

"I doubt any of your other girlfriends were…" she trailed off, clearing her throat and mumbling the next part, "virgins."

"Oh," Drew understood, releasing her hand because it suddenly felt awkward. She interpreted it as something else, however. She stepped back from him, nodding her head.

"Knew it," she said quietly. "Knew you'd care."

"Of course I care," Drew said obviously. "You want me to be honest?" Jessica winced. "I was relieved."

Jessica's eyes snapped open, feeling like she would faint right there on the spot. "Excuse me?"

"I'm one, too," he whispered, smiling seductively. "But, shhh. Don't tell the tabloids that. They'd have my head for it."

Jessica's jaw dropped impolitely. "_You_? No way."

"I'm a Hollywood bad boy, Jessica. It's my _image_. It doesn't necessarily mean that's what I _am_." She felt extremely guilty for making such an outlandish assumption. It was wrong to just assume that kind of stuff about people. She supposed that he just always seemed like the kind of guy that would have. He was a celebrity, he was graduating high school in a year or so, he was incredibly good looking, and with eyes like that, she assumed that girls would have been at his feet begging.

"Sorry," she apologized, "that was rude."

"I don't blame you for it," Drew shrugged. He grinned the old smile that said, 'I am trying to impress you'. "But I guess I do come off as that kind of guy, don't I?"

"A little," she nodded guiltily. "Again, sorry."

"It's okay," he winked. "It's _really _hard to get mad at you."

"I guess I should consider myself lucky."

"Extremely."

Jessica smiled and started wiping off one of the two marks that stained the wall. "Hey, Drew, can you bring a garbage bag out of the cupboard in the kitchen and just dump everything on the table in it?"

"Sure," he nodded, disappearing into the kitchen. She was relieved to get Drew out of the room for a couple of seconds. She needed to breathe. That was a huge piece of news she had just found out about him. It was odd thinking that he was just about as innocent in that department as she was. Well, she knew one thing. At least he'd kissed a girl before. She had never kissed a boy in her life. How pitiful was she?

He kept trying to kiss her, she knew it, but why did she keep backing away? She wanted to kiss him, they both knew that. Why did she keep pushing Drew away? Was it fear that she'd be too eager and he'd back away in disgust? Was it a nagging voice in her head that thought things might go a little too far? She didn't know, but she did know one thing. She would let him do it before it was too late; before he didn't want to anymore.

Drew came back into the room, a big black bag in his hands. He walked over to the table, picking up all of the ruined plastic dishes and stray food and tossed them into the bag. Jessica continued to scrub the stain on the dining room wall, making sure that Drew wasn't looking when she gazed at him from the corner of her eye. Not really realizing it, she made a decision: she would kiss him before the night was over.

Jessica didn't realize until ten minutes later that she was scrubbing a clean wall. With an embarrassed blush rising to her cheeks, she continued on to the next and final stain sitting on the wall, taunting her. It would be best to finish cleaning before she tried to make a move, just incase she got a little too distracted….. she flushed at the thought. She went into the kitchen and wet her rag with soap and water before returning to the dining room to keep scrubbing on the stain.

During her absence, Drew took a mirror out of his pocket and looked himself over. For the most part, he looked pretty good. There were a few pieces of dried food in his hair, but for once, he didn't care. He'd get it out later--he'd make sure of it--but right now, all he cared about was what he would try and do before the night was over. He hastily stuffed his mirror back into his pocket when Jessica came back through the doorway, begging that she didn't catch him looking at himself. Hmm, that would be a first.

Jessica, extremely nervous, panicked when the stain was gone. Drew was done cleaning off the table and was leaning against the wall, watching her. This made her feel even more clammy. Sweat formed on her palms, only sticking to one hand because of the towel grasped in her right. Her eyes searched frantically, looking for something more to clean. Drew grinned. He, for some reason, found her sudden giddiness hilarious. He walked over to her, only to find that she had tensed up. Jessica couldn't move. She was completely paralyzed. It was odd to her how she was so eager for this only minutes ago, but now she was frozen in fear.

"Looks like we're done," Drew grinned, smiling his heart-stopping smile. He heard her breath hitch in her throat. He turned the intensity of his sapphire eyes on full-fledged high. Jessica thought she felt her spine melting at the core. She suddenly felt very numb.

"Yep," she breathed. She wanted so badly to back out, but decided not to. Not this time. She couldn't keep running away, or nothing would ever get accomplished. He smiled crookedly, causing her breath to hitch again.

Drew wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. Her breathing quickened tenfold, stopping and then starting again. She suddenly couldn't feel her limbs. Odd, she realized, he seemed to have the same thing on his mind that she did.

"Jessica," he began, their faces inches apart, "I love you very much, and I know that you don't believe me. I'm going to do something right now that I promised myself I would never do. I'm completely handing my heart over to you. I… am in love with you so much that I can't really put it into words." He laughed weakly, trying to lighten the mood.

"Actions speak louder than words, you know," Jessica said quietly, surprised that she could find her voice. He smiled down at her, his eyes swimming with sparkling crystal.

"Yeah, I know," he breathed, his face inching every closer to hers. He pulled her as close as possible, her body pressed against his. Drew chuckled in her ear, kissing her cheek. He could feel the burning skin beneath his lips. He, for the lack of a better word, was more attracted to her than ever now. His lips were an exact centimeter away from hers. "I love you."

That was the last word that passed between them. Finally, after days--maybe even months--of waiting, the space was closed between them. Drew's lips pressed softly against hers. It was soft, but it was passionate. The electric current that surged between them whenever they hugged, whenever they held hands, whenever they touched, was gone. A simple 'current' was not enough to describe the emotions and feelings that they felt. The hug they had shared when he had first arrived for Christmas--when Jessica had wrapped her legs around his waist and arms around his neck--it was nothing, nothing at all compared to this. The once simple electrical 'current' was now a lightning bolt that never ceased. It roared, it thundered, it surged.

Jessica's mind was wiped completely blank. It felt like time was frozen, like time ceased to exist. Their lips moved in silent, wordless conversation. Drew's grip around her tightened. His hand curved around the back of her neck. He loved her so much, and he hoped deeply that now he could show it to her. Jessica kissed back, feeling her entire body weaken. Her knees buckled. She fell halfway to the ground, Drew's firm grip around her waist keeping her from sliding all the way to the ground. Their lips parted momentarily.

"Jessica?"

"You…don't do that," she said shakily, wrapping her arms around him neck and pulling herself back up. "My… knees g-gave away."

They stared at each other for a long time, not breaking eye contact.

"Jessica Kramer, I love you," Drew whispered against her lips. He wished, to the darkest confines of his heart, that she would whisper back a few fateful words.

"I… I think I believe you," Jessica replied, her voice weak with disbelief. "I love you, too. A lot."

Instead of answering, Drew pressed his lips to hers again, the lightning bolt striking and staying. She tightened her grip around his neck, her hands running up to his hair, twining her fingers in it. He deepened it, but Jessica pulled away after a few seconds, gasping.

"What is it?" he asked, afraid that she wasn't feeling the same charges running through her as he was. Just then he realized that he couldn't speak above a whisper.

"I told you, d-don't do that too much," she said, embarrassed. She gasped for air. "I--"

"Keep forgetting to breathe," Drew finished for her. He nodded, releasing her regretfully. He sat down weakly in a nearby chair. "Would you believe me if I told you the same thing?" He rubbed his temples, taking in large, even breaths. "Embarrassing…" he muttered.

"Yeah," she laughed, her voice barely audible she was so out of breath. "Um, I guess we should go… clean up now."

"Good idea," Drew agreed, standing up and running his hand through his hair, which he just realized were sweaty. His heart was pounding so hard in his chest that it almost was painful. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but stare at her with an all new look in his eye. If he'd thought he was in love with her before, it was nothing compared to how lovesick he was now. She made eye contact with him for a split second, her heart stopping where it was, then picking up double-time to make up for the beats it missed.

His eyes seemed like a whole new shade of blue, swimming and shining with a slightly lighter ocean color, making him even more breathtaking. They both were still trying to comprehend the fact that they finally did it; they finally kissed. Jessica's cheeks were already redder than Drew had ever seen them before, but in that split second, they seemed to darken. He had the strong urge to pull her in and press his lips to hers again, but he knew it would be best for both of their health if he didn't. That was all that stopped him. His self-control was completely gone without a trace.

**There is your kiss! It was a big moment, and I hope I did an okay job. I actually hadn't originally planned on making them kiss yet, but then I realized something. I was holding out on y'all and it wasn't fair for you. Plus, I didn't want to start losing readers because of waiting too long. Personally, I don't think I did a very good job. Review or PM me and tell me your opinion. It will help me not to make all of their other kisses sucky, too. Sorry that it was bad. I tried my best. ;)**

**Press the pretty button!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Oh, yay, I am glad** **u all liked the** **kiss! I was** **super worried that** **it wouldn't be** **right cuz it wasn't out in the** **snow or** **anything. I am** **glad the whole dining** **room thing** **set well with everyone… ;)**

**Here is what happens next!**

Jessica pounded on the bathroom door impatiently. She huffed, reaching up to the top of her head and picking out as much of the icing as she could without a mirror. She placed one hand on her hip and rested the other against the door, drumming her fingers, irritated. She swore, he took longer in the bathroom than Aunt Melanie, and that was saying something. She banged her forehead against the wooden door, groaning. An _hour and a half _and counting.

"Relax," a voice called from the other side of the door, "I'm almost done."

"It's a miracle!" Jessica exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "Drew, you take longer than Aunt Mel!"

"Hey, hey, I realize I take a while, but no need to say uncalled for things like that!" he called, his speech slurred. She pressed her ear to the door and heard familiar noises. He must have been brushing his teeth. She sighed.

"Well, when someone takes an _hour and a half_ to take a shower, I think foul plays are allowed," Jessica snapped through the door. The icing was long passed dried and would take even longer to get out. She sighed once again. She could have gotten everything out of her hair, taken a shower, and gotten dressed in her pajamas in thirty minutes flat.

"I wouldn't go that far," Drew said, sticking his head out of the doorway. The corners of his mouth were covered in bubbly toothpaste, his brush hanging out of his mouth.

"Are you almost done?" she whined, folding her arms over her chest. "This icing will take forever to get out!"

"Rewax," Drew comforted through a mouthful of toothpaste. His head disappeared behind the door. She heard him gargle, spit, and rinse. He wiped his mouth on a towel while opening the door, stepping aside to let her in. Jessica walked through, gasping. A smug giggle escaped her lips as her eyes surveyed the bathroom counter.

"Oh. My. Gosh. You are such a _girl_!" Jessica laughed, her hand over her mouth. Her cheeks were turning red. Every visible inch of the granite countertop was covered by colognes, hair gels, shampoos, and different sizes and shaped brushes. A large tube of toothpaste rested beside the sink who's brand she did not recognize. She picked it up and looked at it curiously. "I've never heard of _Sparklez _before."

Drew snatched it from her hand, his face almost as red as hers. "I'm a world-famous celebrity, Jessica. I have to look my best at all times!"

"You _do _have more products than Aunt Mel!" she laughed. "Oh, is she going to be ticked with you for hogging all of the counter space!"

"Shut up!" Drew spat, turning his toothpaste around in his hands. "And if you _must _know, it is a specially made brand of toothpaste. It's my own special kind. I have it made and processed just for _me_."

Jessica coughed, "girl."

"Oh, please, that is real mature. Honestly, how else do you think I got such a dazzling smile? I don't get my teeth whitened. It's all natural," he grinned. He sucked in a deep breath and blew softly into her face. She grasped the counter to prevent her knees from collapsing. That would explain his unbelievably wonderful smelling breath. No wonder she'd never smelled anything like it. It was _specially made_, which brought her back to her point.

"Girl," she coughed again, clearing her throat afterwards. She picked up a small, round tube with a blue top. "Oh my gosh, no way. Is this _moisturizer_?!" Drew snatched it from her grasp, too, his jaw tightening. He actually looked a little angry, but mostly embarrassed. He supposed it was a little odd for him to have more beauty products than his girlfriend, but it was just in his mind. He was _Drew Hitley_, after all.

"Just get the icing out of your hair and leave my stuff _alone_," he hissed, slamming the bottles back down on the counter. He turned and slammed the door on a smirking and slightly surprised Jessica. Why was he mad at her? She couldn't help it that it was so funny! Oh, come on, admit it. It was pretty hilarious.

Jessica turned to the mirror with a sigh. This was gonna take a while.

About an hour later, she emerged from the bathroom, wearing her T-shirt, baggy blue pajama pants, and her hair wet. After for what had seemed like hours of torment, Jessica had finally gotten out all of the dried chocolate icing. She was going to get him back for that. She had nearly gone insane when she'd thought she'd have to bring out the scissors. Jessica stepped down the stairs, her family waiting patiently on the couch while watching a Christmas special. Well, Aunt Mel was waiting as patiently as Aunt Mel could wait, which meant she hollered out insults or complaints about either the story line, the actors and their skills, or the poor lighting. The worst part was, she seemed to have no issue with blurting out insults about Hollywood people when Drew was right there in the room. He looked like it was taking every bit of his available willpower not to attack the woman.

Jessica stepped off of the landing, smiling at him comfortingly as to calm his on-edge nerves.

"Merry Christmas Eve, everybody!" she said brightly, the room suddenly feeling warmer. She glanced over at the clock. It was ten-thirty, right on the mark. Time to set her plans into motion.

"Oh, hey, Aunt Melanie?" she asked sweetly, surprising everyone with her seemingly genuine tone. Even Aunt Mel seemed slightly surprised. They all looked away from the television, watching her confrontation with the enemy. Was she crazy to push things too far?

"Yes…?" Mel asked unsurely. Her eyes narrowed into beady slits.

"I just want to apologize," Jessica nodded, playing with her thumbs. "It was rude the way I have behaved since you got here, and I just want to say that I'm sorry. Really, truly sorry. It's Christmas! We shouldn't be at each other's neck like this, don't you think?"

Everyone stared at Jessica incredulously, their eyes wide. Everyone in that room knew that Melanie was the one responsible for the squabbling, not her. What was she up to? Did she really just want peace for Christmas, or was she wanting something else?

"Uh…" Mel stuttered, not daring to believe this was real. She'd only imagined Jessica bowing down to her and asking her forgiveness for the treacherous things she'd done in her wildest fantasies. Was the world coming to an end? If it was, she liked it. "Sure…?"

"Glad you agree," Jessica said quickly. "So, don't you think that I should make up for what I've done?"

"Of course!" Aunt Mel said immediately, although no one was sure what she needed to make up for. "It would be inexcusable if you did not!"

"Exactly," she smiled good naturedly. "So, I was wondering if you could do me one little favor. If you and Kolby go to bed early tonight--yes, that's right, I'm apologizing to Kolby, too--then I will fix everyone a big, Christmas breakfast tomorrow before we open presents! How does that sound?"

"Like an _actually _decent idea," Melanie said shortly, drawing herself up. After much effort, she heaved herself off of the couch. "But just so you know," she added hastily, "I am not going to bed early because you asked me to. I was already a little tired, actually. After all, it's the _least _you could do for what you've done." Which still no one knew what was.

Kolby hopped off of the couch obediently at Jessica's request and followed his mother up the stairs. Jessica had to keep herself from laughing because of all the noise the two made simply walking up the stairs together. The chorus of squeaks and squawks made her smile.

"Good night!" she called. Kolby replied immediately. Aunt Mel just grunted.

Two down: one to go. Jessica turned to her mother, smiling innocently. Her mother raised her hands in the air in surrender, shaking her head with a chuckle.

"I'm going, I'm going," she said, rising from her chair and heading up the staircase. She paused, turning around momentarily. "You two behave yourselves."

Jessica sighed, burying her head in her hands. Ms. Kramer laughed merrily and disappeared to her bedroom.

"Oh, darn," Drew snapped his fingers. "She had to set limits."

"Like you were planning to do anything," Jessica rolled her eyes. She was barely able to keep herself from squealing when she felt a pair of lips press against the area directly below her jaw. Her heart hammered inside of her chest. Just a few seconds ago he had been sitting in a chair on the other side of the room. Odd how Drew was too lazy to not have his chauffeur drive him half of the time, but he could be as quick as lightning when desired.

"I'm learning more about you all of the time," Drew whispered in her ear. His heavenly scented breath traveled to her nose, her eyelids fluttering for a fraction of a minute before she got control of herself. "First, you start a food fight. Second, you plan on getting everyone to go to bed early to get some alone time with yours truly. What next? I have to say, Jessica," he whispered, "your rebellious side is quite attractive." He chuckled darkly, appearing on the cushion beside her in a split second. She giggled nervously, eying him a little fearfully.

_Okay, phew_, she thought. _He was kidding… wasn't he? Yeah, I think._

Drew's arms wound around her, his lips pecking her hair. He smiled sheepishly.

"You're just a mastermind at trying to tempt me to stop being a gentleman, aren't you?" he asked her, breathing in her strawberry scent.

"If anyone is trying to seduce the other, I am not the guilty one," Jessica shook her head. She eyed him curiously. "But just out of curiosity, what are you finding so 'appealing'?"

"That list could go on all night," Drew kissed her cheek. "But at the particular moment, you smell like strawberries, which recently became my favorite fruit."

"That line was so cheesy," she scolded, resting her head on his shoulder, looking up at his crystals for eyes.

"But did you like it?"

"Maybe."

"That's what I thought."

He rested his forehead against Jessica's. Their eyes were locked.

"Merry Christmas, love," he whispered quietly, his lips brushing against hers. Her heart stopped where it was, which was odd because she could hear deafening thumping in her ears.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that."

"Get used to what?" he asked, twirling a piece of her wet locks with his finger.

"The cuddling, the kissing," she muttered embarrassedly. "One of these days my heart will stop and not start back up."

"I feel the exactly the same way," he agreed to her surprise. "I just have so much more self-control than you do, it's laughable."

"_Self-control_?" Jessica questioned accusingly. "Please, you have the smallest amount of self-control of anyone I have ever met!"

"That is so untrue!" Drew shook his head. She really had no idea of how much restrain he put on himself, did she? She was lucky that he thought that she deserved someone who was a gentleman, or things would have gotten out of hand long ago.

"Right, sure it is."

"I can resist anything!" he announced, haughty. They both knew how untrue that statement really was, but Drew held his ground. He wasn't going to let her hold anything over his head.

"Oh, really? Can you now?"

"Yes! I can!"

Jessica leaned towards him, giggling the giggle that made him want to pick her up. She smiled hugely, her teeth gleaming in the light from the television. A sound escaped his throat that was somewhere between a whimper of defeat and a low moan. He was cracking after only a couple of seconds; lovely.

Her lips lingered to where they were barely touching his. Her top lip and bottom lip were hardly in contact with his; but they were. He couldn't feel his arms, and his so-called 'self-control' dwindled with every passing moment.

"You were saying?" she whispered, her lips moving, causing his to move as well.

_Are you insane?!_ Drew thought. _You are sitting here taunting me to do something totally inappropriate, and if I do it, you'll get mad at me!_

"You don't know what you're doing," Drew shook his head, trying to warn her. "I'm trying not to do something I am gonna regret…"

"There shouldn't be a problem," Jessica breathed, pressing her body against his. Drew's eyes shut tightly, trying to take in big, even breaths. But all he smelled was mind-wiping strawberry… "If you've got so much self-control, I mean."

"If I do something stupid," he warned, "you brought it upon yourself."

"_When _you do something stupid," she corrected him, batting her eyelashes.

"You crafty little devil," he chuckled, a devious twinkle in his eyes that she had never seen before. As much as she was disgusted with herself at the moment, she couldn't bring herself to back away. The surge running through her body felt ridiculously good--and numbing. Jessica was genuinely surprised she hadn't blacked out by now, especially when his hand stroked her cheek softly. His sweet, intoxicating breath seemed to melt her, his blue eyes twinkling and gleaming with a rebellious glint. Then, out of nowhere, their lips met. They pulled together like magnets, her hands shooting to his coat collar, grabbing it and pulling it towards her. A never-before-felt spark ignited within Jessica. She found herself running her hands down his chest.

Drew's lips traveled from her lips down to her jaw, chuckling quietly. "Do you have _any _idea what you're doing?" he demanded. To Jessica's surprise and total confusion, she thought she detected anger in his voice. Yep, yep, that was anger, all right.

"What did I do?" she asked quietly, disoriented. She felt like the room was spinning. Was it just her, or was everything blurry?

"We need to stop," he warned, wanting badly to take back his words. Things were getting out of control. He wasn't sure if she realized that he was holding her in a way some people would consider inappropriate.

She almost asked why, but then in a sudden burst of intuition, everything around her became vivid and sharp. She realized where her hands were: on his abs. Which she hadn't realized he'd had, until now. Jessica also could feel where his hands were. She understood. Her entire face turned the color of a tomato, biting her lip. She released him unwillingly, terribly embarrassed and ashamed. He had warned her, and there they sat. In turn, Drew hastily stuffed his hands into his pockets. That was the only place they needed to be.

"Well…" Jessica trailed off, her face almost numb from all of the heat that was rising, "hmm." She scooted away from him as much as the couch would allow, hiding her face behind her half-dry hair. He didn't need to see her color, plus, it was just plain embarrassing. She cleared her throat awkwardly.

Drew watched her as she suddenly became suddenly extremely interested in the TV. Jessica groaned internally. The happy couple on the television had just gotten caught under the mistletoe. This was something that could only happen with her luck. _Great_.

That call was too close for comfort. He licked his lips awkwardly. His ocean eyes seemed to change shades of blues with the light of the television. He wanted to comfort her, but he wasn't sure how. Normally, he would put his arm around her shoulder and whisper things in her ear, but he had a feeling that would make things worse. What was he supposed to do?

"Jessica?" he asked, his palms wet.

"Yeah?" she asked, not looking away from the screen. Why couldn't her and Drew kiss like that? Perfectly normal, non-awkward, meaningful kissing? Well, that couple wasn't a real couple, she thought. They were fictional. It was easy for them to keep themselves under control with their non-emotional, non-teenage hormones. Life was so unfair.

"I'm sorry. Can we pretend--"

"That it didn't happen?" she finished for him. "I'd love to, Drew, I really would, but I don't think that's gonna happen. Do you honestly think we could just 'choose' to forget?"

"No," he shook his head, "guess not. How about… uh…"

She turned her head to look at him, appreciative that he was making an effort. She focused on the bridge of his nose, knowing for a fact that she couldn't handle his eyes at the moment. "Just be more, uh, careful?"

He grinned. "Yeah. I warned you, though." He laughed halfheartedly, attempting to lighten the mood.

"I know."

Jessica glanced over at the clock. It was exactly eleven o'clock. Had it really been an entire half an hour? Even more embarrassing. Well, she knew one thing. If she was still planning on keeping her promise and preparing breakfast in the morning, she needed to get to bed. Seeming to read each other's mind, they both stood up at the same time.

"Uh, heh, I guess I need to get to bed if I'm still doing breakfast tomorrow," Jessica pursed her lips.

"Right," he nodded. "Right. Yeah. Totally. Um, I should, too. I'm just gonna sleep on the couch tonight."

"Alright," she said softly, Drew barely able understand her. "Um… goodnight, I guess."

"Night," he replied, kissing her cheek. Blood rose where his lips had been. Jessica actually kind of admired him for having the nerve to do that. She grinned sheepishly, giving his hand a light squeeze before turning and retreating to her bedroom. She knew one thing:

The next time Drew warned her that he was losing it, she was listening.

**Okay, everyone, sorry if it offended you at all. Just keep in mind, they are teenagers that are madly in love, they are almost seniors in high school, and I did put 'rated T just incase' in the description, so there was fair warning! Plus, nothing happened that I didn't think you guys couldn't handle. I've read worse, so I am sure u have too.**

**Review!**

**~ChAnNyObSeSsEd**


	33. Chapter 33

**Once again, sorry if any of you were offended or shocked in any way. It was rated T from the beginning, they technically didn't do anything wrong, and every couple has bumps in the road, right? Here is your next chapter!**

Jessica's alarm clock sounded bright and early Christmas morning. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, glaring at the clock like it was threatening to take all of her Christmas presents away. She took a deep breath and untangled herself from the sheets wrapped tightly around her like a cocoon. Once out of bed, she straightened her pajamas and shuffled groggily down the stairs. It was only about eight in the morning. Knowing how early Kolby would awaken, she had picked this precise time for a reason. Kolby woke up early to see what 'Santa' got him every year. Thanks to Aunt Mel babying her child, the boy still thought Santa was real.

Jessica's noisy shuffle slowed to a tip-toe when she caught sight of a snoozing Drew on the sofa. A rough blanket was draped over him, only covering his legs. His arms were everywhere, his mouth wide open and a quiet snore escaping his lips. His hair was messy and sticking in every direction. She smiled to herself. Mr. 'I-have-to-look-perfect-at-all-times' did not look so high and mighty now. On the contrary, she thought he looked kind of cute.

She blinked and shook her head.

_Stop gazing at your boyfriend and get to work!_ a bossy voice in her head commanded.

She nodded in agreement and shuffled to the kitchen. Jessica reached into the fridge and pulled out all of the necessary ingredients, such as eggs, milk, strawberries, sausage meat, and ham. She got to work.

Drew was awoken by delicious smells drifting to his nose from the kitchen. At first he was confused, shooting up from the couch wondering where he was. His mind immediately thought that he should have been in the hotel, but then he remembered as he took in his surroundings. He was at Jessica's house. _Jessica's _house.

"Is that eggs and strawberries I smell?" he asked, coming into the kitchen slowly. Kolby was sitting eagerly in a table chair, almost bouncing in his seat. Jessica looked irritated.

"Yep!" Kolby answered for her, hopping out of his chair and walking towards the stove to peer over Jessica's shoulder. Drew raised his eyebrows. Apparently, Jessica had kept her early-breakfast promise. He wouldn't have.

"Strawberries," Drew said eagerly, leaning over her other shoulder. "Sweet! My favorite."

A voice echoed in Jessica's head:

_At the particular moment, you smell like strawberries, which recently became my favorite fruit._

_**That line was so cheesy**._

_But did you like it?_

_**Maybe.**_

_That's what I thought._

A blush rose to Jessica's cheeks that Drew didn't understand. All he said is that he liked strawberries.

"You know, I like strawberries," Kolby said, making a poor attempt at trying to sound alluring. "Hey, Jess, do you know that you smell like strawberries a little bit?"

Drew shot a glare in his direction, but Kolby didn't seem to notice. "Uh, thanks, I guess," Jessica said awkwardly. Kolby interpreted her nervousness as something much different.

"Yeah, yeah, and that adds onto how pretty you are, too," he continued. Drew intensified his death glare, anger rising. Did he not see that her boyfriend was in the room? News flash, Kolby: boyfriend that's not _you_. Drew's hands balled into fists. "And," he continued, "you're an awesome cook and everything. The ideal wife--"

Okay, _that _crossed the line!

"Hey, Jessica," Drew cut him off, wrapping his arms around his unexpecting girlfriend's waist. He watched Kolby and made sure that Kolby knew he was watching him. He leaned his head down until his mouth was right beside her ear. Drew whispered loudly enough for Kolby to hear. "Did you have fun last night?"

Jessica's body went rigid under his arms, dropping her spatula into the eggs' frying pan with a noisy clatter. Her head snapped up from her work, her eyes wide. Drew quickly made a meaningful gesture towards Kolby and raised his eyebrows. Jessica nodded in understanding, relieved. She took a deep breath, giving her heart a moment to return to doctor-recommended pace. That was a question she hadn't been prepared for, and she was sure Kolby would interpret it's meaning much differently than she would. She cleared her throat, quickly glancing towards Kolby, who looked horror-struck. He looked deeply hopeful that they weren't talking about what he thought they were talking about.

"Oh, yeah," she nodded, returning to her work. However, this time she let her body lean into his. "Lots of fun."

Kolby was almost paralyzed with fear, hoping desperately that they were talking about something else. But as he stared at the way Drew was holding her, he became less and less sure.

"Ha ha, yeah," Kolby laughed weakly, "the food fight was pretty rad."

"Oh, we're not talking about that," Drew shook his head, his grip tightening around the horrified boy's step cousin.

"Yeah, you weren't around when this happened," Jessica laughed quietly, leaning her head against Drew's chest as she cooked. Kolby's beady eyes grew wider, his hands feeling sweaty. He couldn't bring himself to ask, 'when what happened?' He didn't want to know, but he had a feeling that he already did.

"When you get older, you'll understand, man," Drew told him. He kissed Jessica's neck gently. Nevertheless, the shiver that ran down her spine was not an act. He'd never done that before.

Kolby's eyes were wide as he shook his head slowly, disbelievingly. He started backing towards the door.

"What're you shaking your head for?" Jessica asked innocently.

"You… you wouldn't… d-do th-that," he stuttered, his body running cold. There was no way. No, he refused to believe it.

"Do what?" Drew asked, equally as innocent. However, when his head turned away from Jessica to look at Kolby, he smiled a little too smugly for her step cousin's taste.

"You kn-know w-what!" Kolby said accusingly, barely able to find his voice. "That you… oh, no! No way! No way are you m-making me say it!"

"No one's making you do anything," Jessica shrugged, turning her attention back to the pancakes she was beginning to pour.

"I think that _he _made you do something!" her cousin wailed, pointing to Drew like he'd caught him murdering someone.

"_He _didn't _make_ me do anything," Jessica said, a smile in her voice. "Everything I did last night was of my own free will." _Which was nothing but sleep, basically_, she added in her mind.

Drew kissed her neck again. Kolby couldn't bear it. He couldn't stand to hear another word. His feet moved of their own accord, carrying him out of the doorway and towards the stairs, his eyes larger than dinner plates. "_Mom_!" he called fearfully.

The second they were both sure that he was out of earshot, they burst into snorting laughter. Jessica laughed harder than she had in a long time.

"Oh, we are horrible," she shook her head, smirking. "And that was probably the best idea and the worst idea you've ever had."

"How can it be the best _and _the worst?" he questioned.

"Well, it was foolproof to work," she shrugged, flipping over a pancake. Sizzling sounds filled the room. "But now he'd gonna go use that big mouth of his to go blab off to everybody."

"Okay, that's not an issue."

"How so?"

"First of all, we _want Kolby _to think that we did. Second of all, who in the world cares what your aunt thinks? And thirdly, your mom won't believe a word tattletale Kolby says. We both know that."

"For our sake, let's hope so."

"Why do you say it like that?"

"If she thinks that we actually…" she trailed off meaningfully, not able to control the blush arriving right on time, "then she will probably throw you out, forbid us to ever see each other again, and place a restraining order against you."

"Whoa, harsh," Drew blinked.

"I guess it's one of those overreactions that comes with being a parent," Jessica wondered aloud. "But are you _sure_--?"

"Yes, I'm positive," Drew rolled his eyes. "I've got things under control, like always."

Jessica snorted, stirring the eggs. She grabbed the bottle of maple syrup and put a couple of drops in the yellow mix, whipping it accordingly.

"Loverboy's right, you're pretty good at that," Drew approved, watching her over her shoulder. When his body shifted so he could crane his neck to see what she was doing, she suddenly became very aware. He hadn't released her yet. The position was strangely similar to last night's dilemma.

"Uh, Kolby's long gone," she laughed nervously. "You can let go now." His grip didn't waver.

"Hmm," he said thoughtfully, "you know what? Nah…"

"What do you mean, 'nah'?"

"I'm comfortable, thanks," he said aimlessly, sounding smug.

"That makes one of us," Jessica shifted her shoulders uncomfortably. She would be rather enjoying this moment if the nagging fact that anyone could walk in at any second wasn't hanging over her head. "So," she said casually, wanting to change the subject, "what did you get me for Christmas?"

"What, last night wasn't enough for you?" he teased, watching her flush with a smile. She cleared her throat determinedly.

"As we _both _well know, nothing happened last night," Jessica said briskly. She sighed. "Drew, please let go. I have to get stuff out of the fridge."

With an irritated groan, he released her. He sat down at the kitchen chair Kolby had been occupying only minutes before. His eyes softened as he watched her carry at least six more things to the counter, her hands flashing around in an attempt to get everything done. He licked his lips, surrendering. The things he did for her…

"Let me help you," Drew said, walking over to the refrigerator, the door still open. "You obviously need some assistance."

She smiled appreciatively. "Thanks."

"Any time," he said truthfully, leaning down so that he had a better view of the shelves. "So what do you--?"

"JESSICA?!" a familiar voice roared, her mother bursting through the door, her face red. Her nostrils flared, reminding Jessica of an angry bull. Great, her oven mitt was red! "_ME. YOU. LIVINGROOM. _NOW!!!!"

"Mom, let me--"

"NOW!!!!!"

With a death glare thrown in Drew's direction, Jessica followed her mother through the kitchen door and into the empty living room. Drew should be the one getting screamed at, not her. This whole thing was his stupid idea! Once again, she was getting in trouble while Drew Hitley was getting off the hook.

Jessica sighed exasperatedly, turning to face her mom. Ms. Kramer's face was as red as a beat, her hair in a messy ponytail. Her pajamas were messy, her hands balled into fists that she shook in the air.

"Oh, guess what?!" she whispered dangerously, shaking with anger. "Guess what Kolby just went into your Aunt Mel's bedroom whining about, huh? Just guess!"

"I know what it was."

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure that you do! Jessica, do you have _any idea_…. I trusted you! I thought that you were a responsible adult! You do the checkbook, for crying out loud!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with fury. "I am up in my room, getting maybe some of the best sleep I have gotten in a long time, and guess what happens. Your Aunt Melanie comes _storming in my room_, screaming at the top of her lungs! How you didn't hear it, it's beyond me. She is screaming things I didn't dare to believe, but then Kolby comes in, telling me that you two practically _told him_. I shouldn't have left you two alone down here last night! I know that you two are in love, Jess, but I _never imagined_…. Oh, god, don't make me say it out loud!"

"Mom, nothing--"

"Oh, don't even try to tell me that it's _nothing_, okay?! Do not even go there! I just never would have believed that you would… would… _do_ that! I knew that you had self-control, and that you were responsible. And _Drew_! Oh my God, don't even get me STARTED on him! I thought he was a courteous boy who was proper and, no, I just would have never thought that anything those tabloids said about him was true! I guess today's press can be a little more reliable than I thought! I cannot even BEGIN to say how disappointed I am, in both of you! You can't just _give in_ like that! There has to be limits! There was a reason I said, 'behave yourselves you two' last night, ya know! I didn't just say it because I like to hear myself talk!

"When I told you that you should kiss him, I just meant _kiss_, Jess, that's it! Not…. you know! Oh, god, I cannot believe you! I cannot believe him! I cannot believe it even _happened at all_! You are a smart girl, Jessica! Please, for the sake of all that is holy, tell me WHAT IN THE WORLD YOU WERE THINKING!"

"Mom!" Jessica gaped, her mother's explosion taking her off guard. "We didn't even do anything! Nothing happened last night!"

"Oh, I can't believe you are denying it right to my face!"

"This whole thing was stupid Drew's idea!"

"It takes two to tango, Jess!"

"No, _no, no, no, no, NO_!!!! Ew, Mom! When I said it was his idea, I meant that lying about it was Drew's plan. All we did last night on the couch was watch the movie, Mom. That was _it_. Nothing more. Kolby was just hitting on me in the kitchen this morning, Drew got super ticked, started lying to him to make him get off of my back, and I played along to make him go away. I was worried afterwards that you would believe him, but Drew said that you were smart enough to not believe the tattletale. Apparently, I was wrong!" Jessica stormed, crossing her arms, offended. How could her mother even believe that she would be so irresponsible? How could she think that _both _of them would be so irresponsible?

"You _swear_ that was all that happened?" Ms. Kramer asked suspiciously, staring her daughter down.

"Mom, I am a _terrible_ liar. Does it look like I'm lying?"

After for what seemed like forever of glaring and scrutinizing, her mother sighed and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry. I guess I should've come to you first to hear your side of the story before believing _Kolby_. Goodness, what was I thinking? Sorry, I just guess my mom gene kicked in."

"It's okay, Mom," Jessica patted her shoulder. Soon, her grin turned into a glare. "But way to bring an awkward conversation up between me and Drew."

"Sorry! I'll leave you to it, then," she smiled, rushing away.

Jessica sighed, running back into the kitchen stove to check her food. To her relief, none was burned. She turned to glare at Drew, who was still standing by the fridge, frozen apologetically.

"_Worst idea ever_," Jessica hissed, making sure he knew how angry she was with him. Next time they were doing something like that, they were letting her mother in on the joke beforehand.

**Hahaha! AWKWARD!!!! Some teenage drama going on there! See, I never put the word in there because personally, it makes me extremely uncomfortable. However, there was nothing obscene or bad in there, and once again, the rating is T and is staying T. I promise, chapter 32 and 33 are the worst things coming out of this story, okay? LOL ;)**

**REVIEW, PLZ! :D**


	34. Chapter 34

**OMG, I have been so busy lately! Here is finally your next chappy! Okay, as the author, I have to say, that last chapter is one of my favorites. Pretend it's a movie. Can you just imagine the look on Kolby's face when they start doing that and the terrified 'Mom!' squeal? Anyways, I am rambling again. Here you go…**

"Jessica!" Drew whined, flipping through the television channels without interest. "There's nothing on!"

Jessica sighed and took a seat beside him on the couch, a bowl of popcorn in her lap. She reached in hungrily and stuffed a handful into her mouth. She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear as her boyfriend continued to sort through channels, a single channel only staying on the screen two seconds before changing.

"Well, maybe if you stay on one channel long enough to see what's actually on, you might find something," she told him flatly. She stuck her butter-covered finger into her mouth.

"No, I would know if whatever is on is any good," he retorted, gazing at the TV unhappily. "All I do is look for my face. So far, nada!"

"Ego alert," she said pointedly. Drew scowled and sunk deeper into the couch.

"You need to get another television company or something," he muttered, typing in random channel numbers now.

"First of all, no need," Jessica rolled her eyes, "and second of all, my Mom and I don't really watch that much TV, so it would be a waste of money. Trust me, I'd know. I do the checkbook." Drew turned his head for a moment to look at her quizzically.

"Sorry, you lost me after _you don't watch much TV_," Drew repeated slowly, looking amazed. "Why in the world not? I couldn't live without it!"

She glared at him with a look that said 'Exhibit A'. "We believe that it melts the brain."

"Ha," he said tonelessly, not looking away from the screen. "Your so funny. Not! Okay, I'm checking your DVR." Drew sighed and went into the list of recordings, scrolling through them so fast that Jessica was doubtful that he could actually be reading the titles. Then, for some reason unknown to her, the moving list froze along with Drew. She looked at him with concern, wondering what had made him freeze up like that. His eyes were wide as his head turned towards her slowly, perhaps the biggest smirk on his face that she had ever seen him wear.

"What?" Jessica demanded.

"Read the screen," he sneered, pointing to the television with the remote in hand. Jessica did as she was told. Not because he told her to, but because curiosity was eating at her. He'd never even smiled that smugly when he'd found out that she had been watching him in the library. Her questions were quickly answered as her eyes widened and she could feel her face burning. "_The REAL Drew Hitley: Bios from the Beginning_," Drew read aloud, watching her face carefully. "Ooh, a biography? About _moi_?"

"Uh, that's not mine!" Jessica said all too quickly, nearly knocking the popcorn bowl over as she reached across him, trying to grab the remote. "That's my mom's!"

"Uh huh," Drew nodded dubiously, holding the remote just out of her reach, causing her to whine. "That's why the recording's title was renamed to have little hearts around the edges, right?" Jessica blushed ferociously. Her hand clawed the air, trying to snatch away the remote control. Her fingers barely brushed it before he held it high above her reach.

"Drew," Jessica said slowly, huffing, "don't act all high and mighty! How many times have I told you that I love you? I recorded that about a week ago."

"Shameful," Drew shook his head, a disapproving clicking noise coming from him.

"What now?!"

"Lying on Christmas Day. You should be ashamed," he told her, a devious smile spread across his face.

"I--I'm not lying!"

"I'm looking at the records, Jess," he continued, indicating to the display screen. He was too smug for her pleasure. "The date it was recorded _clearly _states OCTOBER 3, 2009. I have been here, what, about three months? We didn't get together until just recently. A certain little miss recorded this right after I arrived in Washington."

"Pffft," she scoffed, "please! How does that prove anything?!"

"It proves everything!" Drew disagreed, so smugly happy. "You fell for me _way _before you let me in on it, didn't you?"

Jessica shook her head but didn't say a word.

"I'll give you credit, Kramer," he grinned, "maybe I was wrong. You could, perhaps, have acting as a possible career choice."

"Gee, thanks," she rolled her eyes, trying to snatch the remote again. He still refused to let her take it.

"Nah ah ah," he scolded, grabbing her arm as it reached out again, using their current position to his advantage. His fingers closed firmly around her upper arm, pulling her to him. Their bodies as close as possible, their faces inches apart, Drew used his infamous 'puppy-dog face'. His swimming blue eyes melted into hers. "Tell me," he breathed, dazzling her once again. "Just admit that you've had a crush on me since the moment I got here."

Jessica couldn't pull her gaze away from him, but she didn't let that stop her. Just because she couldn't remember how to breathe didn't mean that she wasn't just as stubborn. She shook her head slowly. He peered at her through his lashes.

"Puh-lease?" he drew the word out, his arm snaking around her waist. She lost feeling in her arms, but she stood her ground. She gulped noisily, still shaking her head back and forth. With an aggravated groan that totally killed the moment, Drew released her and rolled his eyes. "Fine, be that way."

"Fine."

"Fine."

Drew continued to flip through channels aimlessly, exiting out of the menu for her Drew show she had recorded, to her relief. Although it was fairly obvious, she wasn't letting him get it out of her that easily. She didn't care what he did, Jessica didn't plan on admitting out loud that she _might _have had the smallest inkling bit of a crush on him since he'd first appeared in show business. No satisfaction was going his way on that particular subject, she would make darn sure of it.

"Oh, don't pull apart on my account," they heard a snide voice say behind them. Aunt Melanie walked--perhaps stomped--into the room. Her beady eyes were degrading, watching the two with dislike. Her chubby arms folded over her chest. "You two seemed to have no problem doing whatever you wanted to do last night. I sure would hate to bother you two by interrupting anything," she said sarcastically. To Jessica's utter surprise, her aunt clapped an oversized hand onto her shoulder. "Good for you, Jessica. Glad you finally proved that you had a little woman in you."

Jessica glared at the sausage-like hand as if it were going to start scorching her skin. She desperately wished that Aunt Mel wouldn't talk about things like that, especially around Drew. Could she have made the situation any more awkward? As if in reply, the overweight woman made another unwanted, unnecessary comment. "But word of advice. Next time, try not to have fun on Christmas Eve. I, being the holy Christian that I am, would want to maybe do it on a more…. appropriate day." Jessica sighed and stared at the floor, refusing to meet Drew's eyes. She couldn't right now. It was far too humiliating. Why, oh, why, out of _all of the things_ he could have come up with, did he have to think of _that_? "Well, I suppose you could use the excuse of 'celebration'."

"Thank you, Aunt Melanie!" she said loudly, icily polite. Her aunt shrugged before walking out of the room.

"Just saying."

Jessica closed her eyes tightly as if in pain, slapping her hand to her forehead. She held a finger up with her other hand to Drew. "Please, if you value my sanity, don't say _a word_."

"Wasn't planning on it." He sounded sympathetic. Yeah, if she were him, she'd feel sorry for herself, too. It was official. Jessica made a mental note to try and never have Drew and Mel in a room at the same time.

"So, what are we gonna do when we get back to school?" Jessica asked, trying to change the topic. Drew scowled disgustedly.

"Do we have to talk about that educational prison while we're off on break?" he asked. "I thought we were supposed to be _forgetting _about school."

"Well, by 'school', I kind of meant… Kelley," Jessica said, her voice growing smaller. Drew's attention was immediately caught my the mention of his sworn enemy. The TV no longer existed, nothing existed except for his girlfriend. Before she knew it, his arms were wrapped around her, pulling her to his chest.

"Shhh, it's Christmas," Drew reminded her, "let's not talk about the devil today."

She laughed slightly at his comment. "I just was curious. You… do know she isn't going to let this go, don't you?" Drew didn't really want to face that question, but he knew that he couldn't avoid it much longer.

"Yeah, yeah. I know," he sighed, rubbing relaxing circles into her arm. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there. But the main thing is--and I don't care what happens: nothing can break us apart. _Nothing_. Ever. Not while I'm living and breathing."

"Glad that applies to you," Jessica said worriedly. "If Kelley has her way, I'm afraid that soon _I _won't be the one living and breathing." His arms tightened around her almost protectively.

"You honestly think I am gonna let that happen?"

"I don't know… I just don't like the way she was looking at me…"

"I can _promise _you," Drew assured her, a dark undertone in his voice that she almost found frightening, "if she tries anything, it'll be the last thing she ever tries."

"Don't do anything illegal," Jessica felt the need to remind him, laughing.

"Just keep reminding me."

Knowing that dinner would be ready shortly, Jessica sighed and tried to pull away, expecting Drew to let her go without any issues. She tried for a second time to pull away from his body, but his arms were like chains around her.

"Who told you that you could get up?" he questioned, Jessica's heart pounding when his lips kissed the nape of her neck. Her breathing quickened, quite loudly, you might add. "I'm not sure if I've told you this yet or not today. Merry Christmas, love."

"Merry Christmas," she returned, her voice in a whisper. Oh, how she wished that Kelley could see them now… the look on her face would be enough to make Jessica smile for the rest of the day if the way Drew was holding her wasn't doing the job already. Her cheekbones burned as they always did when that certain charge shot between them, the one that Jessica considered quite unsafe judging from last night's events. She had learned that when she started getting those tingly feelings, that meant that the mental alarm needed to sound saying, CAUTION. She took large, even breaths, keeping her self-control in check. Yep, she was good for the moment.

Drew seemed to sense the way her body tensed against him, the caution sign in his head turning on, also.

_Stay in check, Drew, stay in check_, he thought repeatedly.

"Not that I am not enjoying this, but we probably should eat," Jessica flushed, giggling slightly. His breath hitched in his throat when she laughed, but he quickly recovered for her sake.

"Right," he said hastily, his arms snapping back from her like rubber bands. "Eating. Right." Jessica rose from the couch, holding her hand out for him to take as he copied her action. They walked to the kitchen hand-in-hand, the delicious scents enveloping them in a mouthwatering cloud of smells and aromas. Kolby, who was sitting in a nearby kitchen chair, eyes widened with horror when seeing them walk in touching each other at all. He watched them as if they'd start making out at any plausible second. Just for the fun of it and the fact that he couldn't resist, Drew winked at Kolby while tilting his head towards Jessica. His girlfriend's step cousin suddenly looked very sick as he rushed past them at a speed that shouldn't be possible for someone of his weight.

"What's up with him?" Jessica wondered.

"Who knows?" Drew shrugged innocently, laughing inside. He wasn't going to let that go for a long, long time. That was pure gold, right there.

**Sorry it was short, but I am having writer's block again! After this, they go back to school, have their stuff with Kelley happen, and then it's over. But I am trying to fit that in to a couple of chapters. I need ideas! R&R**

_**Check out you pressing that button to review for me! Check out how awesome you are if you do!**_


	35. Chapter 35

**Hey, there! I know, I know, "Where have you been?" I have been swamped lately, plus, I have BAD writers block. I feel like you guys deserve another chapter since, judging from your reviews, you really want one. So, here you go.**

"I'm so sorry to see that you're leaving so soon," Jessica tried to say convincingly, patting Kolby's arm with as much emotion as she could muster. "Time flies by every year, doesn't it?"

"Sure does," he agreed, staring at the floorboards of the entryway and following the pattern with his eyes. "I guess time flies when you're having fun." His beady eyes shot up from the ground and rested on Drew, giving him a dirty look.

"A lot of fun," Drew said, smiling hugely as he raised his eyebrows at the boy. Jessica elbowed her boyfriend with unnecessary strength, causing him to gasp sharply. She gave him a warning look before turning back to a crestfallen Kolby. Sure, he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, he could be inappropriate, and he was hard to get rid of, but he was still her cousin. Jessica thought they'd given him enough grief throughout his visit. Drew was being mean.

"Sorry, Kolby. He's being impossible," she laughed truthfully. Jessica, guilt overwhelming her, made the poor decision to give him a goodbye hug. She could almost feel the air in the room become stale as Drew's body tensed. She painfully realized her own stupidity. Kolby, as always, was hugging a little too eagerly. His hands were moving down extremely slowly. She herself knew what it must look like, but she couldn't imagine how Drew felt at the moment, considering he had a full view of her back and Kolby's inappropriately eager hands. She patted her step cousin's back awkwardly, hoping he would catch the signal. Jessica wasn't only doing it for her own comfort, but for Kolby's safety. Judging by the strange still atmosphere that surrounded her, Drew was about to blow his top.

"See ya next year, Cuz," Kolby said casually, his grip not wavering in the least. "I guess--"

He was cut off by a terrifying sound. Jessica knew what it was, but didn't want to fully accept it. A low, dangerous growl filled the entryway. It didn't sound like it was capable to come from a human, but she knew that it was coming from deep within her boyfriend's throat. For the first time since they'd met, Jessica was actually scared to look at his face.

"Uh, ha ha, _okay_," Drew said curtly, his voice dangerously irritated. He was at their side and tearing Kolby away from Jessica within a second flat. "Huggy time's over!"

"Relax, dude," Kolby said innocently, holding his hands up in a sign of surrender, "can I not get a goodbye hug from my beloved cousin that I won't see for another year?"

"There's nothing wrong with that," Drew spat, his arm enveloping Jessica's waist and pulling her as close to him as physically possible. Normally he wouldn't have done that, considering his dangerously raging hormones, but he was so angry right now that he didn't care. He was holding her protectively, "if hugging was all you were doing. Piece of advice if you'd like to keep your hands attached to your body. _Keep. Your. Hands. HIGH_!"

"It's like the pot calling the kettle black!" Kolby argued, pointing his finger accusingly at Drew. The heartthrob looked about ten times more lethal, though. "You should keep your hands to yourself period!"

"What I and _my_ girlfriend do is none of your business," Drew whispered, his voice reminding Jessica of the day in the cafeteria. "You shouldn't even be talking about that, Pillsbury Dough Boy."

Kolby's jaw dropped, his fists balling up and releasing over and over again. The look on his face, however, did not reflect the way his body was reacting. He looked like he was getting ready for a fight, but how threatening Drew looked at the moment kept him at bay. Who would have thought that normally not-so-scary looking Hollywood hunk would have ever appeared so ready-to-kill.

"Kolby!" a shrill cry broke through the tense silence of the room. Odd how Aunt Mel would end up being the one to save the three from a very messy fight. "Come on, let's get out of here!" Melanie's voice was impatient, coming in through the partially opened door. "Your father is at home waiting for us. Let's not keep him waiting any longer. God knows how he survived without me--us. Come on, Pumpkin!"

Kolby sighed, glared weakly at Drew, and stomped out of the house. He grabbed his tattered bags off of the doorstep and bounded to the blue Toyota, breathing heavily at both his raging testosterone and the physical labor. Jessica and Drew watched in a relieved way as the car backed out of the driveway, pulled onto the street, and skidded away with the incredible speed of Mel's eagerness to get away. They both sighed in unison when the car was out of view.

"Are they gone?" a voice called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, Mom, it's clear," Jessica confirmed, wondering why she hadn't thought of the genius idea of hiding out in the kitchen as they departed.

"Thank the Lord," Ms. Kramer sighed, appearing in the doorway. She looked unusually clammy. "If you couldn't already tell, they were kind of starting to get to me."

"All of us," her daughter nodded, suddenly feeling very exhausted. "Has it ever been _quite_ that hectic?"

"Don't think so," her mother shook her head. Her eyes tiredly shifted to Drew. "Must be him."

Drew laughed weakly. If they thought about it, most of the holiday's issues and drama had involved him in some form or fashion.

"Relax, we don't blame you for it," Jessica assured him, noticing the way his expression changed so quickly.

"Yeah," Ms. Kramer agreed. "To be honest, I think this was probably one of our best Christmases yet. What do you think, Jess?"

"Definitely," Jessica nodded. The two suddenly became aware of the current position they were in, considering the fact that Ms. Kramer was acting a little odd as she talked with them. With an embarrassed giggle, Jessica stepped away from him and his arm snapped back. Drew shoved his hands into his pockets as a precaution. Her mother smiled in a thoughtful way as she turned and went back into the kitchen, the door shutting behind her. Why did Jessica have a strange feeling that she did that on purpose? This was the reason she felt hesitant as she turned to Drew.

"So, was this one of _your_ best Christmases?" she asked curiously, holding her hands behind her back in a casual way. Drew looked at her in the way that made her heart thump.

"_One_ of my best Christmases? Please, Jessica, this was _the _best Christmas of my life, honest."

"Really? Even without the parties and fabulous gifts?"

"I got the best gift of all this year," he said truthfully, smiling crookedly at her. She sighed in an exaggerated form, rolling her eyes at the cheesiness of it all.

"There you go with the cheesy lines again."

"I didn't finish!"

"Fine. Finish. I know what you're going to say, though."

"I got the best gift of all this year. _You_."

He recited the words, but it wasn't as if he'd gotten them off of a script. He said them with truth, his eyes backing up his statement and then some. Jessica smiled to herself, keeping her eyes on the ground shyly, knowing he would think it was cute. "Like I said…" she said quietly. "Cheesy." She giggled.

"If you want me to stop…"

"Let's not be too hasty! I never said that."

Drew chuckled fondly at her as he stepped closer and kissed her head softly. His shoulders slumped as he sighed deeply, stepping back and watching her apologetically. He appeared as if he were in actual physical pain, which is why Jessica was at his side immediately.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked, concerned. She placed her hand lightly on his forearm. He smiled, obviously upset.

"Yeah, it's just… I realized what time it is. I need to go," he said the last sentence with difficulty.

"Oh," she understood, her hand dropping from her boyfriend's arm. "Well, don't scare me like that! I thought it was something serious!"

Drew sighed once again, watching her with a look in his ocean blue eyes that was unfamiliar… and she didn't particularly enjoy it. It looked longing, almost tortured.

_It's worse than I thought_, Drew thought, not taking his eyes away from her. _This is _harder _than I'd thought. I knew it wouldn't be easy to leave her again, especially after the kiss. But I need to go to my interview this morning… I can't be getting so attached like this. It's not healthy! Well, since when do I care if my infatuation with my girlfriend is healthy or not? Wow, I like saying that. My girlfriend. _MY _girlfriend. Jessica's my girl. Stop it! Stop it! She's going to think you're a creep--even if you are her boyfriend--if you latch onto her like this. I never thought I'd think this… but stupid kiss!_

"Drew?" Jessica asked. "Drew? You okay?" She almost sounded amused. "You've got that look on your face that makes it look like you're thinking way too hard."

"Just not too thrilled about leaving," he confessed. "How cliché is it gonna sound if I tell you that it will literally bring me pain to be separated from you? But I can't miss this interview…"

"You are back to work already? The day write after Christmas?"

"Hollywood doesn't take a break for Christmas. If anything, things just get busier."

"Oh," Jessica frowned, "well, that stinks."

"Tell me about it," he agreed with a nod, watching her again. "I _have _to go to this one. If I miss another interview, I won't be alive to see you again."

"Huh?"

"The night we went to the fair. Yeah, as it turns out, I had an interview scheduled for that day. Apparently, Rachael just assumed that I didn't have any plans and didn't let me in on it until I got back. 'Drew, where have you been? Do you know how bad it looks when I have to cancel? Blah blah blah blah!' She is going to crack one of these days, I know it."

"You had an interview?! And I kept you from it? I'm sorry, I didn't know! Oh, she must hate me."

"Yeah," Drew nodded, pulling her into a comforting hug. "But it's not you necessarily. That one's mostly my fault. I bugged her so much about seeing you the few days we weren't together that it nearly drove her insane. Well, it drove her _more _insane."

"Lovely," Jessica said in monotone, pulling out of his hug and shrugging with a sigh. "Well, I don't want to keep you from your interview." She smiled half-heartedly. "I'm really glad you came. I had fun."

Drew stuffed his hands into his pockets even deeper, chewing on his lip. The pain this was causing him was almost unbearable. Just leaving for a couple of hours shouldn't hurt this much, right? It just wasn't natural. Suddenly, all pain was gone. His face lit up into a breathtakingly attractive smile.

"Who said I had to go?" he asked enthusiastically. Jessica watched him with alarm. "You wanna come with me?"

Jessica hadn't been prepared for that question. Her mouth opened and closed several times, completely at a loss for words. She wasn't a big fan of attention from anyone, let alone _the whole world_ watching. She didn't do interviews. She didn't like everyone in the room turning their heads to look her way. She wasn't like Drew. She didn't get a kick out of having people's undivided attention. She slowly started shaking her head.

"Drew…" she trailed off uncertainly, "I--I'm not one for attention. You know that. I can't--can't get on camera in front of everyone and… no, no, I can't."

Drew scowled. He looked at her unhappily. Then, he seemed halfway upset and halfway smug. "You're scared."

"Well, yeah! Kind of!" No reason to deny it. She had already made it as clear as day.

"Come on," Drew said persuasively, taking her hand and rubbing circles on the back of it with his thumb, "I'm not just asking for the heck of it. I want to have you on there with me… I want to introduce you to the world. I want to introduce _us _to the world."

Jessica was torn. That was undeniably sweet, but then again, it made her want to say no even more than before. Telling a country--maybe even a planet-full--of girls that the object of their lives was taken from them would be a bad decision on their part. It would be like school all over again, except about fifty times worse. Plus, they'd all know her name, what she looked like, how old she was, and where she lived. Jessica was definitely not okay with that.

"That's so sweet, but that makes me want to say _no_ even more!" Jessica refused, shaking her head.

"What? Why?"

"I don't want thousands of angry girls at my doorstep trying to--!"

"Puh-lease?" Drew asked, pulling out the big guns now. He stepped closer to her, turning his electric blue eyes on full power. His hand cupped a disoriented Jessica's burning cheek. "Jessica…"

"S-s-st-stop," she demanded weakly, her eyelids fluttering but refusing to blink. "You c-can't just d-do that every t-time you want s-s-something!"

He continued to stare alluringly as if she hadn't of spoken.

"Don't be ridiculous, love," he cooed, his lips brushing hers.

"I--I want to be r-ridiculous…"

"You're sure?"

Kiss.

"Um… yeah…"

Kiss.

"It would make me really happy, Jess."

"I don't know…"

Kiss.

"Jessica," Drew whispered. Jessica was getting the familiar tingling sensation that screamed 'WARNING! WARNING!'

"Fine!" she caved, pushing him away with the little strength she still possessed. "Fine! I'll do it! Just let me go upstairs and change clothes! Ugh!"

"Knew you'd change your mind," Drew chuckled, taking a seat on the couch and folding his hands behind his head. He propped his feet on the coffee table noisily. "I'll be right here waiting."

Jessica mumbled unintelligible words as she stomped upstairs, her fists clenched. Why couldn't she have more stupid control? That was ridiculous! She was weak. He shouldn't be able to kiss her and make her do whatever he wanted. He could kiss her, tell her to jump off of a bridge, and she would do it. Why was she feeling so much obligation already? They'd only been dating, what, two weeks?!

Jessica rummaged through her drawers without much interest, but determined to find the appropriate outfit. She was going to be on TV. _Her_. Wow, she'd never thought she would be doing something like this. But, once she really thought about it, she supposed that she should have seen this coming. When you date a world-famous movie star, more than likely, you are going to have to deal with press at some point or another. She just hoped that it wouldn't be her undoing. She was horrible speaking in front of other people, let alone on _national television_.

Jessica finally decided on a pair of clean, dark skinny jeans that hugged her legs in all of the right places. She picked a recently-bought top out of her closet. She made a mental note to ask her mother where she had bought her new wardrobe. She actually liked it. The top reached to the middle of the top of her leg, the silky material colorful enough to catch the eye but not too much so. It was long-sleeved and shaped her nicely, but it was not too tight. She wasn't going to show off, but she would show her curves a little. What was the harm in that? Orange, dark pink, and purple swirling patterns stretched across the crème background of her blouse, shining in the light. She wore the same subtle silver necklace she wore to the fair, and she slipped on a pair of purple high-tops, making sure that the laces were in order.

Her hair was a completely different story and not near as easily handled. She ran the curling iron through it a couple of times, quickly applying eye makeup when she was finished. Surprisingly, her eyes didn't take much work. She surveyed her reflection in the full mirror on the back of her door. Yep, it was classy, but not _too _classy. Let's see what the tabloids had to say about that! Jessica rushed downstairs, not feeling like standing there and letting Drew gape at her like he did the night of the fair. She suddenly didn't like the idea of anyone's eyes on her. Her stomach decided to somersault at the wrong moment.

**What should happen at the interview? I already have some ideas, but what questions should be asked and what should be said? I was actually thinking about drawing this to an end in another two chapters or so. Give me ideas! I am feeling very unoriginal at the moment ha ha.**

**Review!**


	36. Chapter 36

**Hey, people! Thanks for the great suggestions! Believe it or not, some of you had the exact same ideas that I had already come up with. Great minds think alike, huh? Anyways, here you are!**

"Jessica, come on! You're being ridiculous!"

"Maybe I want to be ridiculous!"

"Well, maybe I don't care what you want."

"Well, maybe I don't care if you care about what I want."

"Well, I do care what I care about, and I care about not caring about what you care about because you are caring about something that isn't significant enough to be cared about!"

"Yeah, well, maybe I--wait, what?"

"The point is, _get out of the car_," Drew said slowly, glaring at her through the glass window of his car. He'd gotten out of his car at the studio where the interview was being held, closed the door, and soon realized that Jessica was not trailing behind him. He'd spun around, seeing her sitting in the convertible looking stubborn. Worst of all, she'd decided to lock the door, and he didn't have the keys with him.

"Drew, I'm telling you, this is a mistake," Jessica pushed, shaking her head from side to side. "The girls at school are enough as it is, but _a whole world _of girls mobbing me is a bit of a stretch." She said the last end of the sentence with sarcasm similar to the kind she used before they'd started dating.

"Jessica, I'll protect you, I promise," he said alluringly, using that tone of voice that he knew melted her from the inside. That's why he was taken aback when she continued to sit there and stare at him indifferently. That always worked. _Always_. There Jessica went again, breaking the laws of nature!

"Oh, I'm sure you will," she said in a business-like tone, "but what happens when you're not with me? What about when you're at your hotel and I am at my house alone? Or what if I am walking home from school and some random mob of girls comes out of an alleyway and attacks me? What if they threaten my life, Drew? What if they jump me?"

Drew looked shocked. "I think you might be exaggerating--"

"No," she laughed a little insanely, "no, no, no, trust me, I am not. I thought you, out of anyone, would know how far your fans will go for you!"

"I'll take care of that problem today," he said airily, straightening his posture and shoving his hands in his pockets. He was no longer leaning down so he could be eye-to-eye with her.

"How in the world are you going to do that?" she demanded of him, staying firmly planted in her seat.

"I have my ways," he said simply. "I am _Drew Hitley_, after all."

"There's your ego again. Aw man, I thought it was gone! You hadn't showed it in a few days," Jessica pouted.

"I have to get in character for the camera," he reminded her as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "The press has no idea that I've changed in the past few months. I'm doing this whole 'I-disappear-for-three-months-then-reappear-for-a-semester-report' thing."

"Okay… so I have to just go along with it and pretend like the conceited Drew doesn't bug the living daylights out of me?"

"Yes."

"All the more reason to stay in the car."

"Jessica!" he whined, strongly having to resist the temptation to stomp his foot like an unhappy child. Normally, he would fix the problem within a matter of seconds by making her get lost in his eyes, or kiss her (that was his favorite way to persuade), but with a glass window between them, both were hard to do. Stupid Jessica and her stupid smartness. "You told me that you would! I already called the studio and told them I was bringing in my new girlfriend, so good luck getting out of it. They were ecstatic to hear I have met someone special at this public school, so they will come take pictures of you at some point. And trust me, it doesn't look good when you sit in the car when you're supposed to be inside. You're worried about getting a bad rep, and if you stay here, you are practically begging for it."

"Just tell them that I had something important come up," Jessica suggested, not liking where this conversation was headed. She had a bad feeling that he was about to win. And sure enough, Drew Hitley never disappoints.

"But why would I do that?" he sneered, leaning up against the side of his hood, watching her through the windshield.

"You wouldn't."

"You wanna bet on that, Kramer?"

"Ugh!" Jessica groaned. She had two options. One: bail and get caught sitting in his car by the press. Not an appealing choice. Two: go inside, get called his 'girlfriend' on a world-wide television broadcast, and most likely make a fool of herself all on her own. "Drew… don't make me!"

"Sorry, the wheels are already in motion," Drew said, although it was obvious he wasn't sorry at all. "You coming or not?" He was too smug for her liking. He knew he'd prevailed in the end.

Jessica scowled as she unlocked the door. Stupid Drew with his stupid charm and stupid plans. Why did he have to call them? Why couldn't they have just showed up together last minute so that the interviewers would have never known she was coming ahead of time? Stupid famous boyfriend. But then a thought occurred to her. What if she _did _end up staying the car? Could staying inside a convertible instead of in an interview really look worse than going in there, revealing herself to tons of vicious girls, and making a fool of herself? No, it couldn't. Right?

Drew noticed her freeze in thought and recognized that familiar look on her face. She was thinking about it again, evaluating her choices. Before she could go back on her word again, he decided to take instant action. He needed to take advantage of this opportunity while it still presented itself. His eyes darted quickly to the silver lock on his door that was still popped up, signaling that the door was unlocked. He jumped at the chance. Before Jessica could snap back into reality, he took action.

Drew's hand darted to the door's sleek handle, yanking it open. Jessica jumped in surprise. Her eyes scrutinized him, wondering what the heartthrob had up his sleeve now.

"Drew, what are you--?"

She was cut off mid-sentence. Drew leaned down into the passenger side of the car, his face inches from hers. His right arm slipped under the back of her knees as his left winded itself around her torso with lightening speed. Jessica looked at him incredulously, daring him with her eyes. He wasn't about to do what she thought he was going to do, was he? Unfortunately for her, the answer was yes.

"Before you change your mind _yet again_…" Drew chuckled, pressing her body against his. His knees bent slightly as he picked her up without delay, not able to take his eyes off of her face as it turned fifty different colors. She beat her fists against his chest weakly.

"Put--put me down!" she objected as he turned as began carrying her toward the building. "You're so concerned about press, don't you think this will look a little… straight forward?"

"Yes," he answered cheerily, a happy and somewhat goofy smile on his face. "Are you kidding me? They will _love _this."

"That's more than I can say for me!"

"You know you love it," Drew rolled his eyes. "What girl in their right mind wouldn't love being carried by Drew Hitley?"

"Apparently I'm crazy," she lied, trying to push away that feeling that was setting off the alarm in her head. She hated, and at the same time loved, the chill that was sent through her body that screamed '_get closer!_', even though it was quite impossible. Well, it wasn't impossible, but she wasn't going to resolve the problem anytime soon. Unless a ring was involved, she didn't allow thoughts like that to run through her head. Drew was the same way. That's why they both had to be careful when spending time with one another. The smallest little things set the other off like there was no tomorrow. That's why she was suddenly angry with him. What was he doing? Could he be doing anything more dangerous? Well, she supposed it could be worse. He could be kissing her right now. Now _that_ would be pushing her self-control limits.

Drew's mind was almost obscured by all of the thrills and chills he was getting at the moment. He had to try and ignore the urge to kiss her like there was no tomorrow. That was why, as soon as they were inside the building, he had trouble putting her back down on the ground. His mind said, 'release!' but his heart and hormones said otherwise. He suddenly realized what a stupid idea this was.

_Smooth, Drew, smooth_, he thought, barely able to keep his thoughts in check as the electricity buzzed between them, _you just did what you aren't supposed to do! Christmas Eve was supposed to be the first and last time you tempted yourself like this!_

Suddenly, his thoughts were disrupted from the girl he loved so much as a bright flash filled the room. Jessica and Drew's head both swerved toward the source of the continuing flashing bulbs. Four different photographers lined the wall beside a doorway that read, _Stage 5_. Above it read in big, red letters, _Windy in the Morning!_ The press smiled as they continued to snap shots of Jessica held tightly in Drew's arms.

"Oh, and here's the happy couple now!" a blonde woman exclaimed, clapping her hands together as she came through the doorway. "I'm so glad you two made it! I was starting to worry that you wouldn't show again, Drew!" She stopped a few paces from them, just noticing the position they were currently in. A thrilled and somewhat devious smile spread across her cheery face, not really looking like it fit there. In fact, it almost appeared so unnatural that it was frightening. "Ooh, ooh, ooh," she clicked her tongue, "in a bit of a pickle, are we not?"

Not only Jessica, but Drew blushed furiously as he set her down, the sensation stopping. Jessica suddenly felt light-headed. Great, she hadn't been breathing again! She nervously straightened out her shirt, her hands shooting up to her hair to smooth it out self-consciously. Drew cleared his throat awkwardly, his hands shooting to his pockets so they didn't go anywhere else. Their interviewer looked back and forth between them curiously, her eyes beginning to narrow. Her eyes rested on Jessica, looking her over from top to bottom. To Jessica's surprise, she seemed to approve.

"You must be Mr. Hitley's newest love," she said sweetly, sticking out her hand. Jessica shook it warmly, smiling. Her cheeks were still rosy from the way Drew had been looking at her and how his arms had tightened from a few moments before. In a way, she was thankful that the woman had come in when she did. No telling what would have happened. Note to Drew: _no more picking her up_. "I'm Windy Blaine, hostess of _Windy in the Morning!_ But I'm sure you already knew that."

"Oh, yeah, I've watched you're show before," Jessica nodded. "I'm Jessica."

"Oh, yes," Windy grinned. "It's so nice to meet you. Wait…" her eyes darted to Drew again, almost disapprovingly. "Haven't you dated a Jessica before?"

"Well, yeah," Drew shrugged, not liking how the questions were beginning. "So what? It's not the same girl. Completely different."

"Right…" Windy said dismissively, "Completely different." For some reason, Jessica felt like she didn't have a reason to believe her. "Anyway, it won't be much longer, you two. The last of the people are taking their seats, so you can just go backstage and they'll touch up your makeup."

Drew nodded and took Jessica's hand, practically dragging Jessica to the backstage area. She suddenly couldn't breathe. Did Windy just say 'the last of the people are taking their seats'?! She painfully remembered one crucial detail.

_Windy in the Morning! _had a live audience.

Worse yet, they got to ask questions. They had a microphone with an _amp_.

**PM me and give me questions that people should ask! Review!**


	37. Chapter 37

**Here is the next chapter for you, my lovely reviewers! In case any of you didn't notice, I posted my poor attempt at a promo for my newest project. I am going to start on it as soon as I finish this story up! Review on it please and tell me if you are looking forward to reading it when it comes out! Alright, here we go…**

"On set! On set! Five minutes 'til showtime!" a man with a headset yelled, running through the backstage area of _Windy in the Morning_. Windy herself was sitting in her comfortable vinyl-cushioned chair on set while Drew and Jessica were getting the finished touches on their makeup.

"Done," the woman doing Jessica's face told her briskly. "Go on!"

Jessica obeyed, scurrying onto the small, contemporary set of the morning television program. She took a seat in a chair directly across from Windy on her orders, twisting her hands in her lap as she watched the last of the audience's seats fill. Her eyes scanned, but at the same time, somehow avoided the crowd. She was trying to see if there was maybe anyone she recognized, but there were too many people and too much talking for her to really focus. She took long, deep breaths, telling herself to calm down. The last thing she wanted to do was puke on camera and see the headline: _Drew Hitley dates Barf Girl!_ The producers of the show ran away from the hostess, evidently going to get the last details ready before the camera started rolling. She sighed in relief as her boyfriend sat down in a cushy chair beside her.

Drew was completely at ease, leaning back in the chair with his foot resting on his leg. He started whistling absentmindedly, ignoring both Jessica and Windy. She assumed he was just getting into character for the camera. Plus, she was sure if she were able to ignore everyone like that she'd be a lot less nervous. For a distraction, she glanced over her shoulder at the large flat screen television mounted on the wall behind them. On its screen floated the logo for the show, a popular song playing in the background. Jessica turned her head back towards the audience, the loud humming of blending voices making her even giddier.

"Alright! Places, people, places!" a voice exclaimed over an intercom. The audience quieted down as Windy turned to face them, her makeup freshly done and looking politely pleasant. Jessica hoped to God that her face stayed that way and didn't twist up mischievously like so many people of the press's did. "And we're live in five… four… three… two…"

"Good morning to you," Windy said in a pleasant voice, facing one of the three cameras that surrounded them. Jessica was automatically reminded of a newswoman on a news network. "Today is Thursday, December 26 of 2009. I hope you all had a lovely holiday. I know that I did." She chuckled good-naturedly towards the camera. "Now, I want all of you to wake up this morning and give a nice, big welcome to my guests for today's show, Drew Hitley and his newest girlfriend, Jessica Kramer!"

To her surprise, no one in the crowd booed or hissed, but clapped politely instead. However, she could hear the boos and growls of the girls at home watching it on TV in her mind. She smiled sheepishly, waving a small wave as Drew smiled hugely and blew kisses to the audience and to the cameras.

_So far so good_, she thought nervously.

"So, let's hop to it then, shall we?" Windy asked them, taking a few pink cue cards with the show's logo on the back of them off of her chair arm. "Everyone wants to know about you two. I mean, no one really knew that Drew had another girlfriend until just a few days ago! If I do say so myself, you two make the most adorable couple!"

Jessica smiled in embarrassment, muttering thanks. Drew nodded his head in agreement.

"So," she continued. "As you know, first I am going to read a few of the classic questions like 'where did you meet?' and 'how long have you been dating?' and things like that. But then after I get those out of the way, we take questions from the audience." They both nodded in understanding. "Okay, so, where did you two meet?" A polite laugh came from the people watching.

"We met at my school, Carson High," Drew answered like an experienced professional. "Yeah, she was in the cafeteria the first day I got there, I walked into the room, and like everyone else, she couldn't take her eyes off of me!" Against her better judgment, Jessica couldn't stop herself from snorting. Everyone's eyes, including Drew's 'remember-the-plan' look, was on Jessica. Windy jumped on it before anyone had a chance to blink.

"Why are you rolling your eyes over there, Jessica?" she asked critically. "Is there something you would like to add?"

"Well, uh, no!" Jessica stuttered. "No, no, nothing at all. I just… was laughing at how… many times people have asked us that question!"

"Uh huh," Windy said dubiously, not buying it. She turned back to Drew. "So, Drew, what was so special about Jessica that made her stick out of the crowd for you? I am sure you had hundreds of girls following you around. Why her?" Mumbles of agreement rose from the audience.

"Well, Windy, you want to know the truth?"

She nodded.

"I mean, do you _really _want to know?" he asked again, his eyebrows rising for dramatic effect. Windy nodded vigorously again. Drew reached his arm around the back of Jessica's chair comfortingly. "She was so—what's the word—much more _direct _with her approach than anyone else." Well, he was partly telling the truth.

"What do you mean by direct?"

"Jessica… was… more up-front with me. It really caught my attention. All of the other girls, you know, just were drooling and following me around like puppies."

"And Jessica didn't?" Windy asked, trying to understand.

"Nope," he answered simply, his arm visibly tightening around Jessica. Windy was already very interested.

"Hmm, interesting," she said thoughtfully, an undertone in her voice that Jessica didn't particularly enjoy. The determined hostess turned to Jessica now, wanting to take advantage of her inexperience and get some more juicy and detailed information. "So, Jessica."

"Yeah?" Jessica's posture straightened up, her eyes very attentive now. She squirmed in her chair uneasily.

"Is this true? Did you not act like everyone else? Do you think that maybe that's what attracted this Hollywood heartthrob?"

"Uh… I guess."

"You guess? You mean you don't know?"

"No, no, I know! I'm just… a little nervous."

"It's fine, hon. Relax. We're all friends here, right?" Windy asked the audience, opening up her arms. 'Yeah' and 'tell us!' popped up in the crowd.

"Um, well," Jessica began, looking to Drew for approval before saying a word. He raised his eyebrows slightly in approval. "Drew and I, we had a… _different _relationship than someone might expect between a teenage superstar and normal girl."

"Oh, really?" Windy asked with interest, leaning forward slightly. Drew shot Jessica a warning look, but she didn't notice. She suddenly felt more confident, more able. She leaned forward towards the interviewer also, smiling.

"Oh, yeah!" she laughed, nodding. "Drew and I… phew!"

"Phew?"

"Yeah! I mean, he comes strutting into the cafeteria trailed by hundreds of girls and I am just sitting there at the table, you know? Like, 'oh, Mr. Big-shot is here. Wahoo'. I mean, come on, he practically was acting like he owned the place, which is what grabbed _my _attention." Windy smiled in a way that should have warned Jessica to stop talking then and there, but she didn't. Drew cleared his throat loudly, but Jessica just took it like he was actually clearing his throat.

"Really? I can't believe that."

"You can't believe that?!" Jessica echoed, laughing again. "Honestly, you should have seen how self-absorbed Drew was when he got here. He even spoke in third-person, like, _all the time_. Calling himself 'The Drew' and thinking of himself as 'God's gift to women'. Totally egotistical."

"Egotistical? Ooh, are you sure? That's a pretty strong word."

"More like not strong _enough_," Jessica corrected her, now talking non-stop, interpreting Windy's determination to get dirt as polite curiosity. "You wouldn't believe what he did."

"What _did _he do?" Windy asked excitedly, leaning forward even more. She reminded Jessica of a fellow gossiping teenager.

"Since Drew is the kind of Hollywood bad boy that always wants what he can't have, he came after me," she gushed, pointing to herself. "He thought that since I didn't fall all over him like every other girl, that I was insane or something, so he starts following me around!" Windy looked like a child on Christmas morning. "Luckily enough for him, he had six of our seven periods with me, so he had an excuse to stay with me almost every second of the day. He sat as close beside me in every class as he possibly could, trying to flirt and get me to fall for him. He wasn't going to go to rest until every last person in that school was a fan."

"Wow," Windy breathed, egging Jessica on. "I never pictured Drew as the 'I am going to stick with one girl' type."

"You'd be surprised," Jessica chuckled, pointing over to Drew. "There's a lot about us that you don't know."

"Okay!" Drew said quickly, laughing as he squeezed Jessica's shoulder almost to the point of pain. "I think that's enough of Jessica's funny little stories for now. Oh, Jess, you're so _silly_!" He glared at her, letting her know that she had just done what they were not supposed to do under any circumstances: reveal to the press that they had secrets.

Windy smirked diabolically, clearly reading the look passing between them. She strongly disagreed with Drew. She really liked his new, sweet, completely _naïve_ girlfriend!

"Questions from the audience?" she said quickly, smiling all the while. An assistant climbed into the stands at his cue, giving the microphone to the first person he saw raise their hand, which was almost everybody. A small, shy looking girl stood up out of her seat. "Say your name and your age, dear."

"My name is Carolyn, and I am eighteen," she replied, her voice a high soprano. "My question is for Jessica. Okay, it seems like there is more to this story that you aren't telling us. I realize that it might be kind of long, but could you give us a short version?" A few hands went down.

"Uh…" Jessica looked to Drew for approval. He just glared at her and rolled his eyes, staring at the ground. It was too late now. She'd been asked a question and she would have to answer. It was too late to lie! "Well, long story short, Carolyn, Drew and I couldn't stand each other for a while. It was a love/hate relationship I guess you could say. But over time, it started to turn into less hate and more of… love." Carolyn smiled to herself and took a seat, nodding her thanks.

Next, the mike went to a chubby woman who looked extremely giggly for some reason. "Hi, there." Jessica could detect a strong Canadian accent. "My name is Muriel and I am twenty-eight. My question is for Drew." Drew's eyes shot up from the ground. "Jessica seems to be more willing to talk about this whole 'relationship' thing more than you are. She actually tells us what we want to know. Why so quiet?"

"Uh, I'm just a little shocked at how… _open _she is being," Drew said truthfully, eying his girlfriend again. Jessica kept her eyes away from his, already knowing perfectly well that later she was going to receive an earful. "And I am perfectly open to talking about my emotions!"

"What are your emotions, Drew?" Windy continued Muriel's question.

"Well, right now I am a little aggravated," he mumbled, his stare drilling into the back of Jessica's head. "But for her? Can't really say."

"What do you mean?" Muriel asked, confused.

"I mean, Jessica is so different from every girl I've dated," Drew said truthfully, his icy glare softening slightly. "And I am not just saying that for show," he said directly to Windy, the hostess almost taken aback by his intense look.

"Thanks, that's all I wanted to know," Muriel thanked. The assistant took back the microphone and stood back, examining all of the different hands that were in the air. Finally, he picked a heavily spray tanned-looking girl in the front row.

"Yeah, hi," she said uninterestedly to Jessica, her attention on Drew as quickly as she had snatched the mike from the assistant's hands. "My name is Katie and I am sixteen. My question is for Drew." Drew groaned internally. This was one of the fake-blonde crazed fanatics, he could tell. "You've had so many girlfriends, and you have never stayed with one for longer than about a week. How are you so sure that _she's _'different'?"

"Easy," Drew answered without pause. He took a deep breath, wondering if what he was about to do would end up being a mistake or not. Oh, well. Whether it was going to be a big deal or not, he wasn't going to hide his feelings for his girlfriend from the world. It was going to have to come out sooner or later. Better sooner than later, he decided. "I… well, Jessica…" he scratched the back of his head awkwardly, Jessica turning to look at him. His eyes connected with hers, and it had no trouble escaping his lips. "I love her."

Surprised murmuring broke out, Windy watching their meaningful stare with curiosity and somewhat freaked out. She'd never really seen any two people look at each other like that, and she'd had _multiple _famous Hollywood couples on. Brad and Angelina, Vanessa and Zac, the two Taylors. This was alien.

"Now, Jessica," she began determinedly, "you do realize how many times Drew has said that to his girlfriends, haven't you?"

"Yeah, I know," Jessica answered, not looking away from Drew's swimming pools of sapphire.

"Like I said," the heartthrob repeated, taking her hand and twining his fingers with hers, "she's different." He turned to look at Windy with a somewhat triumphant expression. "Two weeks and counting."

"_Two_ weeks?" Katie breathed, not daring to believe it. "That—that breaks your record by a whole week! You usually would have gotten at least two more girlfriends by now!"

"Yep," Drew answered simply, taking in the girl he loved so much. He suddenly felt fearless, as if nothing that anyone said or asked would bring him down. That is, until the next contender.

"Hey," a familiar snobby voice rang through the room. Jessica and Drew's eyes ripped from one another and looked to the girl that now possessed the microphone. There a tall blonde stood, a small and stubby girl in her wake by her side. They stared in horror as the girl stated her name. "Yeah, hi, I'm Kelley. It's so nice to finally see you two in person!" she said through her teeth, icily sweet. Jessica and Drew played along, knowing that they would have to for the cameras.

"Hi," they greeted her in a similar cold tone.

"I'm seventeen, about to be eighteen. Just wondering something. Either of you could answer this question… actually; I think it would be really cool if you both did." Windy nodded. "By the way, just as a warning for the kids out there," Kelley smiled to the camera, "this is a rated T question."

"That's alright," the hostess assured her, glad that the questions were getting more personal.

"Okay, as we all know, Drew is a Hollywood bad boy, known for being a player and popular with the ladies. Is Jessica different from all of the other girlfriends in another way, too?"

Jessica and Drew continued to act oblivious, although they both knew what was coming up and tried to prepare themselves for it. A soft blush tinted Jessica's cheeks just thinking about it.

"What do you mean, exactly?" Windy pushed to get the words out.

"Have you two 'done the deed'?" Kelley smirked. Everyone's attention was glued to the couple immediately, not sure of what to think. Part of them wanted to think, 'of course they have! Drew Hitley doesn't date without it!' and the other part of them said, 'hmm… I just can't picture it. They look too… innocent'.

"Uh, you see…" Drew started, "we, um—"

"Yeah," Jessica nodded, "Drew and I…"

"Jessica is old-fashioned, something else completely new to me," Drew finished finally, deciding that sounded like the most sophisticated answer. "And believe it or not, I don't have a problem with that."

Some people gasped in shock, others were muttering 'I knew it', and some just smiled at the sincerity of it all. And Kelley and her faithful sidekick, Lea, scowled at the failed attempt of humiliating them on live TV.

"We are a united front," Jessica told the audience and a crestfallen Windy. "Drew and I stick by each other no matter what, right?"

"Completely," he grinned at her, his eyes gleaming. A couple of 'aw!'s erupted from the crowd. Jessica laughed loudly at the cheesiness of it all.

"Are we the cheesiest couple or what?" she asked him, still giggling. His eyes were alluring as they could possibly be, the television studio's lights seeming to just enhance it.

"Completely," he repeated, chuckling softly. Some more sighs and 'aw!'s filled the silence as only Lea and Kelley gagged. Then the crowd began to chant something else.

_Kiss…_ one person suggested lightly, smiling at the young lovers.

_Kiss!_ another exclaimed in agreement.

Kelley and Lea looked at each other fearfully, horror written all over their faces. No, they couldn't kiss! Whatever they did they could not kiss. It would ruin their plan! It would ruin EVERYTHING they had worked so hard to plan out!

_Kiss! Kiss! KISS. KISS! _the whole crowd was chanting now, some pounding their fists in the air. Windy just copied the crowd, knowing that she was going to have to go along with the popular suggestion if she didn't want to come out as the bad guy.

Jessica turned to Drew, blushing as the chanting grew more and more in strength. She realized now that even the cameramen and maintenance crew that was watching was chanting it, too. Soon enough, the hormones triggered by simply looking into the other's eyes were screaming the same thing. Drew kept his eyes locked with hers as he slowly brought her hand up to his lips, kissing it gently. She was unable to keep herself from smiling as some of the hopeless romantics in the audience started squealing as everyone continued to use the repetition of, _KISS! KISS! KISS! KISS!_

They leaned towards each other slowly, the current roaring as it always did. It was odd. The more and the louder the crowd chanted, the lightning surged with ever more strength. Jessica's heart raced as the smallest trace of a smile shaped his lips, his sweet breath overwhelming her senses. With a loud 'yeah!' their mouths melted together, the viewers going into hysterics that surprised them themselves. Kelley and Lea watched in silent terror as they kissed, wanting to go into angry tantrums, but not able to find the breath to do so. Well, there went their plan!

The couple's kiss turned from sweet and innocent to a little more passionate, earning a few whistles and 'whoop!'s from the cameramen who had a closer view than everyone else. No one, however, had the view that Windy had, who hadn't spoken much of a word in the past few minutes. She watched them, unsure of what to say. For the first time, Windy Blaine was at a complete loss for words. Their innocent little kiss became more passionate still, making it a little bit uncomfortable for the onlookers now, a few still cheering but some clearing their throats. Finally, they broke apart, but only because they needed to breathe. The room was full of hollering again as Jessica scratched the back of her head while flushing, many audience members giving her winks and a thumbs-up.

"Well, that's our show, everyone," Windy said to the camera, the certain quality it had possessed that morning gone. "Have a great day, and remember, it's always _Windy in the Morning!_"

Thunderous applause filled the room, the metal roof making the sound ricochet and echo every which way.

"Well, that was an interesting interview," Drew smiled at her, trying to get the thoughts out of his head that the kiss had forced in.

"It was my first," she reminded him, "and I'll always remember it, that's for sure."

**Review! PM me any ideas! I made this a little longer for all if you. Hoped you enjoyed it!**


	38. Chapter 38

**I have to say, this story has been so much fun and has practically been my life the past three months. Here is a fact: I wouldn't be near as happy and be having as much fun and have as many reviews as I do if it wasn't for all of you. Give yourselves a round of applause! Thank you so much for all that you do. After this, my newest long project will be "Channy Chaos". The promo is posted if you want to check it out! It most likely won't be near as popular as this ended up being (I am still trying to believe so many people enjoyed it), but I would really appreciate it if you all kind of…… **_**transferred **_**your interest over to that story when this is done. Thanks so much!**

**Here you are!**

"Drew, did you see this?" Jessica asked in a demanding tone, confronting her boyfriend right outside of the school's doorways. She held up the tabloid to which she was referring, shoving it in his face. She had been unfortunate enough to not find out that her face—more like _their _faces—were printed on the front of magazine shipments that were going nationwide. _The Hollywood Scoop _had a large, blown up picture of Jessica and Drew lip-locking on the front cover with smaller pictures of them as captions on the side. _The Whole Story on Hollywood's Hunkiest Heartthrob's Newest Girlfriend! But is it his last?_ Drew snatched the tabloid from her, holding it at a larger distance from his face so he could actually read it.

"Yeah," he shrugged, "just another story about us. What about it?"

"Well, why didn't you tell me about it?" Jessica asked him, her lips sticking out slightly like they always did when she was irked. She put her hands on her hips. "I didn't even know about that until today!"

"Okay…"

"Well, I don't know if you can still remember this far back, but do you remember that feeling you got the very first time that you ever realized you were on a magazine cover?"

Drew pretended to contemplate, taping his finger on his chin and gazing dramatically off into the middle distance. He couldn't help but smirk. She was making such a huge deal out of this. "Nope, nope, I can't say that I do. It's sad, really. I have been _unbelievably famous _for so long now that I can't remember my first magazine appearance! Tragic."

"Drew, I am not kidding! Don't you think I would kind of want to know?"

"I guess so. I just don't see what the big deal is. This is no better or worse than any other stories I've seen come out about us. They all say the same things—'will they last?' and 'are they really in love or is it just a publicity stunt?' plus 'Hollywood's Hottest New Couple Taking the World by Storm!' I have seen it all before."

"There are _others_?" Jessica asked incredulously, her eyes widening. "You mean there are even more pictures and stories of me floating around that I didn't even _know about_?"

"Oh, so this isn't about us as a couple," Drew said slowly, accusingly. "This is about you and your reputation. Phew, little Miss Critical criticizes _me_ for being self-centered!"

Jessica took a deep breath through her nose. "All I am asking is if you could clue me in next time my picture is on newsstands all over the country."

"And all I am asking is for you to act a little less hypocritical."

"Ooh, hypocritical! That's a big word, Drew."

Although these two may be totally and completely in love, that didn't mean that they still didn't have their occasional pointless bickers. No couple is 100% perfect. Where is the fun in that?

"Hmm, what could be egging me on to say more big words about you acting like a hypocrite? I think it's the word _egotistical_. Oh, who knows? Maybe even _conceited_? Is this vocabulary too big for you, Kramer? _Do I need to speak slower_?" he asked the last sentence as if he were speaking to a first grader. Jessica pursed her lips.

"Well, considering that you learned all of those words from _me_ when we met," she seethed while hitting him on the arm, "I'd say that calling me a hypocrite is so inaccurate that for you it should be _morally repugnant_." To Jessica's satisfaction, Drew's face went blank. She grinned triumphantly. Then, out of nowhere, he started smiling at her. His eyes were doing the flickering thing with the light again, his blue shirt making his eyes even more pronounced than usual, which was saying something. She was confused. Why was he grinning at her in the middle of a fight? "What?" she asked timidly.

"You're cute when you use big words," he answered, his voice a soft whisper. Like she always did, Jessica blushed, realizing that it didn't matter how much time they spent together, that particular quality would never go away.

"Kiss up," Jessica muttered, keeping her eyes on the ground.

"Well, I don't know about kiss _up_, but, uh… _kiss _on its own sounds fine to me," he winked, clicking his tongue. Her color deepened, but she didn't give in as easily as he'd hoped she would.

"You know what a horrible line that was, right?"

"You know how much I really don't care I just want to kiss you, right?"

"Fine. But next time, I'm not falling for the cheesy lines again, alright?"

"You know you love them!" Drew said cockily, rolling his eyes as his arms snaked around her waist and pulled her close to him. "You say that every time, and yet, here we are."

"Shut up!"

"Hmm…" he pretended to think, "I don't know." He wagged his eyebrows. "You're gonna have to make me."

Jessica didn't need telling twice as she crushed her lips to his before he had time to say anything else. Drew could feel her smile as his hand cupped her cheek. To Drew's dismay, she pulled apart far too soon for his taste. However, Jessica had no intention of stopping. She was simply taking a breather; an opportunity to whisper something to him before pressing her lips back to Drew's.

"I love you, Drew Hitley," she whispered quietly, barely able to finish the sentence before they were silenced by the other's lips. Instead of replying with words, Drew let his lips do the talking, their mouths moving in synchronized silent conversation.

The sun began to set beside an empty Carson High School, the sun tinting the sky and clouds orange with hints of pink and purple. The only people left on campus was the two soul mates outside of the front doors, honestly too distracted to notice the colorful sunset behind them. Colorful fireworks of their own devise filled their heads.

The sun went down, but the fireworks were never extinguished.

**THE END! Since it is officially over after so long, I beg for **_**every single one**_** of my readers to review now and tell me what you thought. Don't do it for me, do it for Jessica and Drew! Do it for the sake of the story! Do it for the memories!**

**Or you could do it for me, too. That's cool…**


	39. Dedication page

**OMG, I don't know if any of you have any idea how much reading this meant to me. It felt so great being able to log on and read your great messages and supportive reviews. Moral support is the best thing I could have possibly received, and look at what I get! You give what I expect to me times 1000!**

_**So everyone knows, I dedicate this entire story to my dear friend, Abigail. She is **__**supposed**__** to be following along, but she is very forgetful. Around Christmas, she transferred schools, and I miss my little Abi so much! Abi, if you are reading this, you are like my little sister and I miss you more than you can imagine. I hope you liked this story! It is for you.**_


	40. ALBUM

**Hey, guys! Here is the album you all have been waiting for. Just so you know, these artists and record companies are not affiliated with me or this story in any way. THIS IS IMPORTANT: IF YOU CANNOT FIND THE SONGS ON YOUTUBE, THEN IT **_**WILL **_**BE ON ITUNES!**

**Plus, I want to use the picture that is lifeisveryshortsoami's to be the cover. If it's not still her profile pic, then I'll tell you what it is. It's a season 2 picture of Sonny and Chad. However, before I say that is official, I need their permission. Is that okay, lifeisveryshortsoami?**

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_AN UNLIKELY PAIR SOUNDTRACK_

1. (for Drew's entering scene) **Supermassive Black Hole: Muse**

2. (imagine them having a romantic moment during it) **Howl: Florence and the Machine**

3. (for the part when Drew is being sweet [take your pick which time]) **At Home: Don Breithaupt**

4. (during their kiss) **Dark Blue: Jack's Mannequin**

5. (about how Jessica is very cautious and independent) **I Feel it All: Fiest**

6. (about Drew and Jessica's relationship in general) **Gotta Be Somebody: Nickleback**

7. (yet another about Jessica's independence, but how she's falling) **Catch Me: Demi Lovato**

8. (Jessica's determination to let off the "I don't care" attitude, hence--) **I Don't Care: Fall Out Boy**

9. (How Drew is trying to explain to her how he would never hurt her) **Trouble: Coldplay**

10. (sweet song about how they found each other [FINALLY]) **Flightless Bird, American Mouth: Iron and Wine**

11. (Drew's feelings towards Jessica that he has never felt before) **Sparks: Coldplay**

12. (Jessica finally gives in) **Come Here Boy: Imogean Heap**

13. (Drew's feelings for Jessica and her feelings for him) **Never Knew I Needed: Ne-Yo**

14. (The name is self-explanatory. It's about Drew and his big ego, strutting down the hall) **Everybody Loves Me: One Republic**

15. (this is a song for the end. Picture it like a movie and it is the song playing during the credits. Imagine all of the characters in that little frame of video off to the side dancing and acting like goofballs to this song. Like Demi and Sterling together dancing like weirdos to it!) **All the Right Moves: One Republic**

16. (fun song about how they were in denial in the beginning) **About a Girl: The Academy Is…**

17. (pretty romantic song) **Like a Star: Corinne Bailey Rae**

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**There you are! For fun, review for this section and tell me what you think of the album! And TELL ME YOUR FAVORITE SONG! Just for laughs… **


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